Table 2.

TELE-ASD-PEDS anchors for behavioral ratings

Item	1 (symptom not present)	2 (symptom present but at subclinical levels)	3 (symptom obviously consistent with ASD)
Socially directed speech and sounds	Child often uses words or other vocalizations for a variety of social purposes (e.g. requesting, protesting, directing attention, sharing enjoyment)	Inconsistent socially directed speech	Most of the child’s sounds are self-directed. May make atypical non-word noises (e.g., “digga digga”)
Frequent and flexible eye contact	Child frequently makes eye contact with others and across a variety of activities	Child’s eye contact seems inconsistent. Gaze seems less flexible and harder to catch than expected	Child infrequently makes eye contact. Might only make eye contact during one activity (e.g., asking for help)
Unusual vocalizations	No unusual qualities of speech/ language observed. Most of child’s speech is appropriate for the child’s age and developmental level	Speech is not clearly unusual, but there are some differences (e.g., volume, slight repetitive quality of speech/language, unclear echoing, some occasional sounds that are unusual)	Child produces unusual jargon, sounds, or speech/language (e.g., undirected jargoning, speech of peculiar intonation, unusual sounds, repetitive vocalizations, echoing or repetitive speech/ language
Unusual or repetitive play	Child plays with toys in appropriate ways (uses toys as expected)	Child’s play is not clearly unusual, but child is strongly focused on some toys, routines, or activities. May sometimes be hard to shift child’s attention to something new	Child shows clearly repetitive or unusual play, such as repeatedly pushing buttons, watching how objects move, lining things up, or scrambling/dropping toys
Unusual or repetitive body movements	No unusual or repetitive body movements seen	Unclear unusual/repetitive body movements. Some repetitive jumping or very brief posturing of fingers, hands, or arms that is not clearly atypical	Child clearly shows unusual or repetitive (e.g., hand-flapping, posturing or tensing upper body, toe-walking, facial grimacing, hand/finger mannerisms) repetitive running/walking/spinning/ jumping
Combines gestures, eye contact, and speech/vocalization	Child frequently points and uses other gestures to communicate. Child’s gestures are usually combined with vocalizations and eye contact	Child may sometimes point or use other gestures, but less than expected. Child does not always look at you or make a sound when gesturing	Child does not usually gesture to communicate. May sometimes reach or point, but does not usually combine these with eye gaze or sounds. May move your hand or push on your body to get help
Unusual sensory exploration or reaction	No unusual sensory behavior observed	Unclear sensory exploration or reaction. May have a brief response to a sound, smell, or how something feels or moves	Child shows sensory differences. May closely inspect objects, overreact to sounds, show intense interest or dislike to textures (e.g., touching, licking, biting, refusing to touch specific toys), or clear self-injurious behavior