Dimensions of Autistic Traits Rated by Parents of Children and Adolescents with Suspected Autism Spectrum Disorders

Teresa Del Giudice,Christina Dose,Michaela Junghänel,Pamela Roland,Manfred Döpfner,Jennifer Steiner,Nicole Bruning,Hannah Bell,Anja Görtz-Dorten,Daniel Walter

doi:10.1007/s10803-020-04850-4

Abstract

To examine the factor structure of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the psychometric properties of the German Symptom Checklist for Autism Spectrum Disorders (SCL-ASD). Data were collected from 312 clinical referrals with suspected ASD (2–18 years). Confirmatory factor analyses and analyses of reliability, convergent and divergent validity were performed. A bifactor model with one general ASD factor and two specific factors (interaction-communication; restricted, repetitive behaviors) provided an adequate data fit. Internal consistencies of the SCL-ASD subscales and the total scale were > .70. Correlations with measures of ASD traits were higher than correlations with measures of externalizing and internalizing symptoms. The results support a factor structure consistent with DSM-5/ICD-11 criteria. The SCL-ASD has sound psychometric properties.

Highlights

Despite many research efforts over the past years focusing on the classification of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), essential questions about their underlying structure remain unresolved (Happé 2011; Kim et al 2018; Lecavalier et al 2009)
The present study examined the psychometric properties of a German questionnaire to assess ASD symptoms, the Symptom Checklist for Autism Spectrum Disorders (SCLASD; Döpfner et al 2008), and uses this questionnaire to analyze the factor structure of ASD in a clinical sample of children with suspected ASD (2–18 years)
We examined whether a three-factor solution derived from DSM-IV/ ICD-10 or a two-factor solution according to DSM-5/ICD11 provides a better fit to the data, and whether the data are congruent with a hierarchical model that identifies a general factor of autism plus different domain-specific factors (INT/ CO and repetitive interests/behaviors (RRB))

Summary

Introduction

Despite many research efforts over the past years focusing on the classification of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), essential questions about their underlying structure remain unresolved (Happé 2011; Kim et al 2018; Lecavalier et al 2009). The current fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Teresa Del Giudice and Christina Dose are first authors

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion