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Childhood Autism Rating Scale Paper

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The Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) developed by Eric Schopler, Robert Reichier and Barbara Rochen Renner, is used in diagnosing autism. It enables a trained clinician to use a rating scale to rate indications of the Autism Spectrum Disorder(ASD).
The scale observes 15 items, rating them from 1 to 4, with the range denoting the severity (Childhood Autism Rating Scale - Special Learning Article, n.d.). A higher score shows a higher degree of autism, and a score of 37 to 60 typically highlights severe cases (Schopler, Reichler, & Renner, 1986). A cumulative score of the 15 parameters defines the level of autism in the subject from non-autistic, to mild, moderate, and severely autistic. Typically, CARS is used only for children aged 2 years …show more content…

Administration of the test takes between 5-10 minutes, and given the increasing number of cases that require screening, it is an appropriate tool for practitioners. The validity of the test is further strengthened by the high levels of diagnosis agreement between parent’s interviews, and observation (Kaat & Lecavalier, 2013).
Disadvantages and Limitations
The primary disadvantage with CARS is that there is no provision to design a targeted intervention, or provide concise feedback to the parents (Payakachat, Tilford, Kovacs, & Kuhlthau, 2012). Though it is the only test used for adolescents and adults, CARS has limitations with this population because there has not been extensive research to validate this.
Culture friendliness of CARS
CARS is especially culture friendly. The majority of tests and scales that have been developed come from the western world, and were thus, based on western cultural implications. However, CARS seems to be culture agnostic to a large extent. However, there have to be cultural expectations that should be taken into account. Some cultural practices may translate in to higher scores, but could be false (International Ethics and Special Education, 2008). For instance, making eye contact with elders is impolite in some cultures, which should be taken into account when administering

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