The CARS autism assessment

The CARS-2.

The Childhood Autism Rating Scale – Second Edition (CARS-2) is a standardised assessment tool used to evaluate children for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It is a questionnaire-style evaluation that is administered by a trained professional along with a child’s parents. The CARS-2 assesses a child's behaviour and development in 15 different areas, including social interaction, communication, play, imagination, behaviour, and mannerisms. The interviewer will form an understanding of the child's behaviour and rate each of the 15 areas on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 being "age normative" and 4 being "with difficulty". The scores from each of the 15 areas are then added up to determine the child's overall score on the CARS. A score of 30 or above is suggestive of autism, and/or another developmental or learning condition. The CARS is just one tool used in the evaluation process for autism and not conclusive on its own.