Psychobiotics in pediatric autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review of efficacy, mechanisms, and clinical translation

Table 6 Behavioral scales used across included studies evaluating psychobiotics in children with autism spectrum disorder

Ref.	Behavioral scale	Full name	Main domains assessed	Clinical relevance in ASD trials
Santocchi et al[30]	ADOS-CSS	Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Calibrated Severity Score	Social communication, restricted and repetitive behaviors	Considered a gold-standard observational measure of ASD symptom severity and is commonly used in clinical trials
Narula Khanna et al[25]; Liu et al[24]; Kong et al[26]	SRS/SRS-2	Social Responsiveness Scale	Social awareness, social cognition, social communication, social motivation, restricted interests	Widely used caregiver-reported scale for measuring social impairment and treatment response in ASD
Narula Khanna et al[25]; Liu et al[24]	ABC	Aberrant Behavior Checklist	Irritability, hyperactivity, stereotypy, lethargy/social withdrawal, inappropriate speech	Frequently used in pharmacological and behavioral intervention trials to evaluate behavioral changes
Shaaban et al[28]	CARS	Childhood Autism Rating Scale	Overall autism severity, including social interaction, communication, emotional response, and sensory behaviors	Clinician-rated scale used for diagnostic assessment and monitoring changes in autism severity
Shaaban et al[28]	ATEC	Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist	Speech/language communication, sociability, sensory/cognitive awareness, health/behavior	Commonly used in intervention studies to assess treatment-related changes in multiple ASD domains
Liu et al[24]	CBCL	Child Behavior Checklist	Emotional and behavioral problems including anxiety, depression, and social functioning	Measures broader behavioral and psychological symptoms that may co-occur with ASD
Liu et al[24]	SNAP-IV	Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham Rating Scale	Attention deficit, hyperactivity, and impulsivity symptoms	Useful for assessing ADHD-related behaviors often present in children with ASD

ABC: Aberrant Behavior Checklist; ADI-R: Autism diagnostic interview-revised; ADOS-CSS: Autism diagnostic observation schedule-calibrated severity score; ADHD: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; ASD: Autism spectrum disorder; ATEC: Autism treatment evaluation checklist; CBCL: Child Behavior Checklist; CARS: Childhood Autism Rating Scale; CGI: Clinical global impression; SNAP-IV: Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham Rating Scale-version IV; SRS: Social Responsiveness Scale.