The application of the first year inventory for ASD screening in Israel.

This study was designed to examine the generalizability and validity of the First Year Inventory (FYI) in Israel. Parents completed the FYI about their 12-month-olds (N = 471). Up to one month later, 17 at-risk and 38 non-risk infants participated in an assessment in which the Autism Observation Scale for Infants (AOSI) and the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) were administered. Using the original FYI 95th percentile cutoff the risk rate in this Israeli sample was 11%. The current sample's 95th percentile cutoff was 4.8 points higher than the original US sample. Infants in the risk group obtained significantly higher AOSI scores and lower MSEL scores. Socio-demographic factors may influence risk results suggesting the need to adapt screening to serve all.