What is the purpose of the M-CHAT-R/F follow-up interview in reducing false positives?

• A. To clarify ambiguous responses and determine whether a child is truly at risk for ASD prior to referral.
• B. To confirm ASD diagnosis.
• C. To assess nonverbal IQ.
• D. To train clinicians in administration.

Answer: (A)

The idea is to use the follow-up interview to clarify ambiguous or unclear responses from the initial screening and decide more accurately whether a child truly shows signs of ASD before referring for further evaluation. The follow-up asks targeted, context-rich questions about the behaviors and their frequency, which helps distinguish genuine risk from responses that were misinterpreted or overly cautious. This step improves the test’s specificity, reducing unnecessary referrals by confirming when concerns are real and avoiding false positives. It does not diagnose ASD, so it isn’t about confirming a diagnosis, nor does it assess nonverbal IQ or train clinicians.