Using the five to fifteen-collateral informant questionnaire for retrospective assessment of childhood symptoms in\xa0adults with and without autism or ADHD

Tatja Hirvikoski,A Trillingsgaard,J Jokinen,E Renhorn,C Gillberg,J Borg,B Kadesjö,S Lajic,The F T F Working Group

doi:10.1007/s00787-020-01600-w

Abstract

Due to lack of previous studies, we aimed at evaluating the use of the Five to Fifteen (FTF) questionnaire in adults with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) and in controls without NDD. The NDD group consisted of adults with autism spectrum disorder ASD (n = 183) or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (n = 174) without intellectual disability, recruited from a tertiary outpatient clinic. A web survey was used to collect data from general population adult control group without NDD (n = 738). The participants were retrospectively rated by their parents regarding childhood symptoms, using five to fifteen-collateral informant questionnaire (FTF-CIQ). Adults with NDD had higher FTF-CIQ domain and subdomain scores than controls, and displayed similar test profiles as children with corresponding diagnosis in previous studies. Based on the FTF-CIQ domain scores, 84.2% of the study participants (93% of the controls; 64% of the adults with NDD) were correctly classified in a logistic regression analysis. Likewise, Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis on FTF-CIQ total sum score indicated that a cut-off value of 20.50 correctly classified 90% of the controls and 67% of the clinical cases, whilst a cut-off value of 30.50 correctly classified 84% of the controls and 77% of the clinical cases. The factor analysis revealed three underlying components: learning difficulties, cognitive and executive functions; social skills and emotional/behavioural symptoms; as well as motor and perceptual skills. Whilst not designed as a diagnostic instrument, the FTF-CIQ may be useful for providing information on childhood symptoms and associated difficulties in individuals assessed for NDD as adults.

Highlights

The neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD:s) autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are amongst the most common and fastest growing diagnostic groups in psychiatry
There were no between-group differences regarding age at assessment/when the Five to Fifteen (FTF)-CIQ was completed by parents, whilst the gender distribution differed slightly: the ASD group had proportionally more males compared to the controls or to the ADHD group
In this study of retrospective assessment of childhood symptoms of NDD:s in adults, we found that the fifteen-collateral informant questionnaire (FTF-CIQ) profiles for the adult ASD, ADHD and general population control groups had high similarity to the profiles for the corresponding FTF profiles of children in prior studies

Summary

Introduction

The neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD:s) autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are amongst the most common and fastest growing diagnostic groups in psychiatry. Extended author information available on the last page of the article and resources from clinical psychiatry to meet the needs for assessment and treatment of the patients. In the United States (US), biannual reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have found an increase in ASD from 0.6% in 2002 to 1.69% in 2014 in 8-year-old children using a two-step surveillance system with multiple sources of information [6]. In a study of parent-reported diagnosis of ASD amongst school children, the prevalence had increased from 1.16% in 2007 to 2% in 2011–12 [7]. In a total population study of a community in South Korea, an ASD prevalence of 2.64% amongst 7- to 12-year-old children was found using a multi-informant screening procedure followed by a standardised clinical assessment [8].

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