A systematic review of screening tools for the detection of autism spectrum disorder in mainland China and surrounding regions

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Wang, J., Hedley, D., Bury, S. M., & Barbaro, J. (2019). A systematic review of screening tools for the detection of autism spectrum disorder in mainland China and surrounding regions. Autism, 24(2), 285-296. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361319871174

Publication date: 20 Aug 2019 Added to AutiHub: 7 Sep 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
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Authors

Publication authors
4
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 4 (25.0%)
  1. Ji Wang
  2. Darren Hedley
  3. Simon M Bury
  4. Josephine Barbaro *

Abstract

Screening for autism spectrum disorder is the first step toward early detection and diagnosis, thereby impacting the likelihood of children accessing early intervention and, importantly, improving long-term outcomes. This systematic review aimed to (a) establish a clear baseline of autism spectrum disorder screening tools currently used throughout mainland China and surrounding regions, (b) identify the strengths and limitations of these instruments, and (c) develop specific recommendations regarding screening for autism spectrum disorder throughout Chinese-speaking countries. Databases were searched for recent (2015–2018) articles published in Chinese or English languages. Twenty-two studies (13 Chinese, 9 English) met inclusion criteria; two from Taiwan and the remainder from mainland China. Studies varied greatly in the extent of psychometric analyses and reported autism spectrum disorder prevalence. The majority of diagnoses were based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed. (DSM-IV) or 5th ed. (DSM-5)) criteria, although a small number of studies utilized gold-standard diagnostic assessment instruments. It is recommended that a systematic, multi-tiered, screening network be established to improve the identification of autism spectrum disorder in China and surrounding regions. Assessment and diagnosis need to be culturally appropriate, and amenable to low-resource settings. In addition, increased public awareness programs to reduce stigma will be important in improving outcomes for children with autism spectrum disorder.

Bibliography cited by this reference

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Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 12 Sep 2026 18:18.

Cited references
64
With a DOI
41
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
21
5 / 64 (7.8%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
20 / 64 (31.2%)
References with detected author names
62 / 64 (96.9%)
Without detected author names
2
Without a structured title
18
Without a stable identifier
21
References with raw author names still to review
0
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
276
From DOI or external metadata
276
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
0
49 / 276 (17.8%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 227 / 276 (82.2%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
5 / 276 (1.8%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 5 / 49 (10.2%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 1 / 228 (0.4%).
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