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Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS)

The Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) is a tool used to identify children aged 2 years and older with autism.

The CARS was designed to help differentiate children with autism from those with other developmental delays, such as intellectual disability.

The CARS rates children on a scale from one to four for various criteria, ranging from normal to severe, and yields a composite score ranging from non-autistic to mildly autistic, moderately autistic, or severely autistic. The scale is used to observe and subjectively rate fifteen items

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About This Glossary

This glossary is designed to explain some of the jargon and gobbledygook used by some people when they talk about autism or research..

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Disclaimer

The fact that an intervention is listed in this glossary does not necessarily mean that we agree with its use. Nor does it necessarily mean that there is any scientifically valid or reliable evidence behind it.