Emotional and Behavioral Problems of Pre-school Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder Assessed by the Child Behavior Checklist 1½-5.

Background: Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience a significant disruption in the ability to communicate and interact socially. Early detection is important; the earlier the child is identified with ASD, the faster the intervention can begin. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) is a screening tool capable of identifying various emotional and behavioral disorders. Research data on the use of the CBCL as a screening tool for ASD are still limited in Indonesia. The present study aimed to evaluate the CBCL's ability to detect emotional and behavioral problems in pre-school children with ASD.

Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in Surabaya, Indonesia. Children aged 1½-5 years old diagnosed with ASD, and typically developing (TD) children were enrolled using total sampling. The CBCL/1½-5 questionnaire for parents, consisting of 99 items, was used in this research to evaluate emotional and behavioral problems. Data were analyzed with the Independent-Sample T-test to compare the CBCL/1½-5 scale between ASD and TD children, while the proportion of gender was evaluated by a chi-square test with a 95% confidence interval.

Results: Fifty children were included in this research, 25 with ASD and 25 TD. Seventy six percent (38) were male and 24% (12) were female. Six of the seven scales were significantly higher in ASD children than TD in the CBCL/1½-5. Children with ASD had higher internalization (p < 0.0001), externalization (p = 0.001), and total problem scores (p < 0.0001) when compared to TD children.

Conclusion: The CBCL/1½-5 can significantly detect the emotional and behavioral problems in pre-school children with ASD.