Evaluation of the M-CHAT-R/F for Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children in Primary Health Care: a Scoping Review Protocol

Introduction: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disability that affects children’s communication, behavior, and social interactions. One of the most widely used tools worldwide for this assessment is the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised with Follow-Up (M-CHAT-R/F), a parent-completed screening questionnaire that assists health professionals in identifying early signs of ASD. The test is simple, quick to administer, and can be applied to children aged 16 to 30 months. Objective: To map the scientific evidence on the use of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised with Follow-Up (M-CHAT-R/F) in Primary Health Care. Method: This study consists of a scoping review protocol based on the methodology proposed in the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Manual and the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guideline. The review will be conducted between December 2025 and February 2026. The study will follow the six stages pre-established by the JBI for scoping reviews: identification of the guiding question; eligibility criteria; search strategy; selection of scientific evidence; data extraction; and analysis and presentation of the results (Peters et al., 2020). The protocol will be registered on the Open Science Framework (OSF) platform for DOI assignment and registration.