Autism Spectrum Quotient Research Articles

Autistic Traits, Arousal, and Gender Features in a Nonclinical Sample of Italian Adolescents

(1) Background: Subthreshold autism is a sub-clinical pattern of autism spectrum disorder-like (ASD-like) traits, including poor social skills, cognitive rigidity, anxiety, and aloofness. These ASD-like traits are significantly more prevalent among parents and relatives of participants with autism; however, evidence suggests that subclinical autistic traits are not restricted to the family members of individuals with autism but rather are continuously distributed in the general population. Though the autistic subclinical form is perhaps prevalent among adults, little attention has been paid to the association between autistic traits and global functioning in adolescence. The aim of the present study is to investigate the subthreshold autism phenotype in adolescence and its relationship with arousal correlates, exploring gender differences emerging in the sample. (2) Methods: A sample of 725 students (293 males and 432 females; mean age 17.19) were recruited from three high schools in Southern Italy. They were assessed by the following instruments: Autism Spectrum Quotient, Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum, Ritvo Autism and Asperger Diagnostic Scale 14, and Hyperarousal Scale. (3) Results: In males, significant direct correlations between all dimensions of arousal and all variables related to autistic traits emerged except for the correlations between the H-Scale "Introspection score", the AQ questionnaire "Total score" (p = 0.094), and the AdAS-Spectrum questionnaire "Empathy factor" (p = 0.210); in females, significant positive correlations between all dimensions of arousal and all variables related to autistic traits emerged. (4) Conclusions: In the sample of adolescents with subclinical profiles of autistic traits, the Empathy factor of the AdAS Spectrum questionnaire was significantly higher in the male group than in the female group, underscoring lower empathic abilities in the former group. In the male group, the empathy factor did not have a statistically significant correlation with the H-scale introspection factor or with the autistic traits measured by AQ. We suppose that in male adolescents, another hypothetical factor seems to intervene in the relationship between autistic traits and arousal. Otherwise, empathy is a preponderant factor closely related to hyper-arousal responses in female adolescents with autistic traits.

Autism, Attachment, and Alexithymia: Investigating Emoji Comprehension

Emoji are often misinterpreted. This study investigated whether individual differences known to impact facial emotion recognition would also affect emoji recognition. Participants completed an online emoji classification task, and then completed questionnaires assessing their autistic traits, attachment style, and alexithymia score. Results showed that Autism Quotient (AQ) scores influenced classification accuracy, but only when considered in conjunction with alexithymia and attachment anxiety. Accuracy was poorer when AQ scores and alexithymia scores were both high, whereas high attachment anxiety boosted emotion recognition in participants with high AQ scores. Results highlight the importance of studying individual differences factors concomitantly, allowing for more accurate identification of individuals who may be at risk of emotional miscommunication online, and are therefore suitable targets for support or intervention. Furthermore, findings will be informative for designers of digital tools that are used to convey emotion.

Standardized instruments for assessing psychiatric, behavioral, sexual problems, and quality of life in male and female adults with disorders of sex development in Indonesia

Disorders of Sex Development (DSD) are a group of congenital medical conditions defined as atypical development of chromosomal, gonadal, and anatomical sex. Psychiatric, behavioral, and gender-associated problems could arise in both male and female adult with DSD. Structured assessments for each variable are needed to properly measure psychiatric and sexual issues and overall quality of life in adults with DSD. This study aims to review structured questionnaire instruments that had been used to assess psychiatric, behavioral, sexual problems, and quality of life in adults with DSD.For psychiatric or behavioral problems, adults with DSD can be assessed with GHQ-28, Brief Symptoms Inventory, Achenbach and Rescorla’s Adult Behavior Checklist, Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview plus, Hospital anxiety and depression scale, Body image scale, Adult ADHD self-report scale screener, Short Autism Spectrum Quotient, and coping with DSD questionnaire. For quality of life, assessment could be done with WHOQOL and Short Form-36. Gender role assessment in adults with DSD can be done using Core Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Role Behavior and Utrecht Gender Dysphoria Scale. Both of the apparent male and female DSD patients can be assessed using the instruments available. Recommendations are made based on its function, compliance, validity, reliability, and avaibility of an Indonesian version of the questionnaire.There are a plethora of structured questionnaire tools that have been used to measure psychiatric or behavioral problems, quality of life, and gender roles in adult with DSD, each with its own advantages and disadvantages

Sensory processing in children and adolescents shortly after the onset of anorexia nervosa: a pilot study

BackgroundAlterations in sensory processing, such as vision, taste, and interoceptive sensation, have been reported in adult anorexia nervosa (AN). Whether these symptoms are traits, states, or “scars” due to chronic starvation has not been fully established. Based on the hypothesis that alterations in sensory processing also occur in adolescent AN in the early stages of the disease, the present study was conducted using both self-administered and parent-administered sensory processing questionnaires.MethodsChildren and adolescents with anorexia nervosa treated at a single tertiary eating disorder treatment center in Japan (AN group) and female junior high school students attending a public junior high school in Saitama Prefecture, Japan (healthy control group: HC group) were included in the study. The Sensory Profile (SP) and Adult/Adolescent Sensory Profile (AASP) were administered to the participants and their caregivers. In addition, we collected demographic data and administered the Children’s Eating Attitude Test and Autism-Spectrum Quotient Children’s version.ResultsSeventeen children and adolescents were enrolled in the AN group, and 63 were enrolled in the HC group. There was no statistically significant difference between the AN and HC groups in the quadrant scores of the AASP. In the SP, the Sensory Avoiding score and the Emotional/Social response score were higher in the AN group than in the HC group.ConclusionFrom the parents’ point of view, the patient avoids unexpected sensory stimuli, but the patients are unaware of their own avoiding behavior in the early stages of the disease. The results suggest that sensory sensitivity in AN may be a “scar” symptom due to chronic starvation and a state symptom. Longitudinal studies from shortly after the onset with larger sample sizes are needed to gain insight into the dynamic relation between sensory processing and eating disorder pathology.

Context-based emotion recognition correlates with Autism-Spectrum Quotient Scores

Context-based emotion recognition correlates with Autism-Spectrum Quotient Scores

Meaning and Use in the Expression of Estimative Probability.

Words of estimative probability (WEPs), such as 'possible' and 'a good chance', provide an efficient means for expressing probability under uncertainty. Current semantic theories assume that WEPs denote crisp thresholds on the probability scale, but experimental data indicate that their use is characterised by gradience and focality. Here, we implement and compare computational models of the use of WEPs to explain novel production data. We find that, among models incorporating cognitive limitations and assumptions about goal-directed speech, a model that implements a threshold-based semantics explains the data equally well as a model that semantically encodes patterns of gradience and focality. We further validate the model by distinguishing between participants with more or fewer autistic traits, as measured with the Autism Spectrum Quotient test. These traits include communicative difficulties. We show that these difficulties are reflected in the rationality parameter of the model, which modulates the probability that the speaker selects the pragmatically optimal message.

Latent profile analysis of autism spectrum quotient

Latent profile analysis of autism spectrum quotient

How to measure camouflaging? A conceptual replication of the validation of the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire in Dutch adults

BackgroundCamouflaging behavior is often defined as using strategies to hide autistic characteristics. In this study, we investigated how to measure camouflaging behavior by performing a conceptual replication of the original study of the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q) and testing whether the self-reported camouflaging behavior is measuring the same construct as the second most used manner to measure camouflaging behavior, the discrepancy method. MethodIn total, 674 individuals (356 autistic) aged 30–92 years, filled out the Dutch translation of the CAT-Q (CAT-Q-NL) and the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ). In 90 autistic adults the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2) was administered. We executed preregistered analyses (AsPredicted #37800) to investigate the factor structure, measurement invariance, internal consistency, convergent validity and group differences. ResultsOur analyses showed that the original three-factor structure had an acceptable fit and internal consistency ranged from sufficient to good. However, there was no measurement invariance between autistic and non-autistic individuals and correlations between CAT-Q-NL-scores and the discrepancy between AQ and ADOS-2 varied between low to mediocre (r = 0.04 to.28). ConclusionsThe CAT-Q-NL can be used to measure camouflaging between and within autistic adults, but not between autistic and non-autistic adults and its convergent validity is limited. Despite these caveats, the CAT-Q-NL can serve as a useful addition to the clinical assessment toolbox because gaining insight in the level of camouflaging of autistic adults may help provide better mental health care. However, more research is needed into how to optimally measure the camouflaging construct.

Empathy for pain in individuals with autistic traits during observation of static and dynamic stimuli.

Previous studies have reported that individuals with autistic traits, like those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), may have impaired empathic responses when observing static stimuli of others' pain. However, it remains unclear whether individuals with autistic traits exhibit impaired empathy for pain in response to dynamic stimuli. The present study addressed this question by recruiting 529 individuals whose autistic traits were assessed using the autism-spectrum quotient (AQ) questionnaire. Thirty participants who scored within the top 10% and bottom 10% on the AQ were selected into High-AQ and Low-AQ groups, respectively. This study employed painful whole-body action pictures and videos as static and dynamic stimuli. Both groups were instructed to judge whether the models in the stimuli were experiencing pain, and their reaction times, accuracy and event-related potential (ERP) data were recorded. Results showed that the P2 amplitudes were larger in the High-AQ group than in the Low-AQ group when viewing painful static stimuli, while no difference between the two groups was found when viewing painful dynamic stimuli. These results suggest that autistic traits influenced the emotional processing of others' pain in response to static stimuli.

Can the UK AQ-10 be applicable to Chinese samples with autism spectrum disorder in Hong Kong? Cross-cultural similarities and differences.

The current study aimed at testing and developing alternative short versions of autism spectrum quotient (AQ-10) (adult [self-report], adult [parent-report], adolescent, and child versions) for use in Hong Kong. First, the various versions of AQ-10 developed in the United Kingdom (the AQ-10-UK) were applied to Hong Kong Chinese samples and demonstrated satisfactory discriminative power (AUCs 0.77-0.94). Second, the Hong Kong Chinese versions of AQ-10 (AQ-10-HK) were developed, using the same methodology as in the original UK study. There were some changes in the choice of items and cut-offs. The AQ-10-HK demonstrated slightly greater discriminative power (AUCs 0.88-0.97) to that of the AQ-10-UK, but the differences in AUCs were not statistically significant. Compared to the corresponding full-length versions, both the UK and HK short forms did not seem to lose any significant discriminative power. Yet, the various versions of AQ, be they the full-length or AQ-10, appeared to consistently exhibit slightly smaller AUCs with the Hong Kong Chinese samples than with the UK samples. So, this study found both cross-cultural similarities and differences. The AQ-10-HK was recommended for local practice to maximize the advantage gained. Yet, for international multi-site research collaboration, involving the UK and HK, the original AQ-10-UK can be used for direct comparison of data.

A Study of the Relationship between Social Communication Skills and Sensitivity to Paralanguage

Sixty office workers at a temporary employment agency were surveyed for their Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and Sensitivity to Paralanguage (SP) scores. The SP measure contains 12 questions and requires participants to guess the nature of the social relationship between two people based on a 30-second acoustic sample of their dialogue. Paralanguage was selected for investigation in this study rather than nonverbal aspects of communication because people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) tendencies — who tend to avoid looking at the face of the interlocutor — still use paralanguage effectively. Social communication skills (SCS) were defined as the sum of scores from the AQ subscales “Social skills” and “Communication”, and participants were categorized into either high or low SCS groups. Five participants had AQ scores of 26 or more, including one participant with an AQ score of 36. The five high AQ scorers were all male and all in the low SCS group. The low SCS group had a mean SP score that was 0.47 points higher than the high SCS group. The results indicate that people with poor SCS were more effective in guessing the social relationship between the two parties based on paralanguage than those with high SCS. There are two possible explanations for this finding. The first is that the SP test favors people with ASD tendencies in the low SCS group. The second is that the high SCS group may typically rely on senses other than hearing when making social judgments. In future, the reasons for our finding may be clarified by creating a “sensitivity to nonverbal cues” measurement that uses only visual information.

Mediating Role of Social Problem-Solving on the Relationship between Autistic Traits and Depression in a Non-Clinical Iranian Sample.

Research on the role of social problem-solving in the relationship between autistic traits and depression is still in its nascent stage and more detailed research is required. We aimed to investigate the mediating role of problem-solving in the relationship between autistic traits and depression. A sample of 376 university students were assessed on depression, problem-solving and autism-spectrum quotient in 2019 at Shahed University, Tehran, Iran. Social problem-solving played the role of a partial mediator in the relationship between autistic traits and depression. Positive problem orientation and negative problem-solving style fully mediated the effects of autistic traits on depression. Since people with autistic traits have deficits in problem-solving strategies, they may be vulnerable to symptoms of depression. Increasing the ability of positive problem-solving and decreasing negative problem orientation may serve as a buffer against depression in people with autistic traits.

The Indirect Effect of Theory of Mind on the Relationship of Smartphone Addiction and Autism Quotient

This research investigated the relationship between smartphone addiction (SA) and autism quotient, considering the indirect effect of theory of mind (ToM). This research successfully recruited 399 smartphone users to complete self-reported measures for SA, ToM, and autism quotient. Initial results with Pearson's correlation revealed a significant negative relationship between excessive smartphone use and ToM. A significant negative correlation was observed between ToM and the gauged autism quotient. However, the measured SA did not correlate significantly with the autism quotient. From the path analysis, the measured SA did not predict autism quotient and ToM significantly, whereas the measured ToM significantly predicted autism quotient. The negative relationship supports that individuals with established ToM are less likely to develop characteristics of autism. The estimated indirect effect was not significant, implying that ToM did not mediate the direct effect of SA on autism quotient. Implications and limitations are further discussed in this manuscript.

The associations between autistic traits and disordered eating/drive for muscularity are independent of anxiety and depression in females but not males.

Previous research has shown a positive correlation between autistic traits and eating disorder symptoms, and this relationship appears to be independent of co-occurring mental health status. The current study followed a pre-registered analysis plan with the aim to investigate a previously unconsidered factor in the relationship between autistic traits and disorders of eating and body image: the drive for muscularity. Participants (N = 1068) completed the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26) and Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS). Positive correlations between AQ and EAT-26 and AQ and DMS were observed. In females, AQ remained significantly correlated with EAT-26 and DMS when controlling for co-occurring anxiety and depression symptoms, but this was not the case in males. These findings demonstrate the moderating role of sex, and the need to consider autistic traits in individuals diagnosed with, or at a heightened risk for, disorders of eating and body image.

The Lack of Alterations in Metabolites in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex and Amygdala, but Their Associations with Autistic Traits, Empathy, and Personality Traits in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Preliminary Study

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) has shown inconsistent alterations in brain metabolites of adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We investigated brain metabolites in the medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala of 24 drug-naive adults with ASD and no intellectual disability and 24 non-ASD control subjects, using 3 T 1H-MRS. Adults with ASD showed no significant differences from control in glutamate, glutamate plus glutamine, N-acetylaspartate, glycerophosphorylcholine plus phosphorylcholine, creatine plus phosphocreatine, or myo-inositol in either region. However, ASD subjects did show significant correlations of localized brain metabolites with autistic traits, empathy deficits, and personality traits using the Autism-Spectrum Quotient, Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy, Interpersonal Reactivity Index, and NEO Personality Inventory-Revised. These findings should be taken as preliminary or exploratory.

Higher Sensory Sensitivity is Linked to Greater Expansion Amongst Functional Connectivity Gradients

Insofar as the autistic-like phenotype presents in the general population, it consists of partially dissociable traits, such as social and sensory issues. Here, we investigate individual differences in cortical organisation related to autistic-like traits. Connectome gradient decomposition based on resting state fMRI data reliably reveals a principal gradient spanning from unimodal to transmodal regions, reflecting the transition from perception to abstract cognition. In our non-clinical sample, this gradient's expansion, indicating less integration between visual and default mode networks, correlates with subjective sensory sensitivity (measured using the Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire, GSQ), but not other autistic-like traits (measured using the Autism Spectrum Quotient, AQ). This novel brain-based correlate of the GSQ demonstrates sensory issues can be disentangled from the wider autistic-like phenotype.

Autism traits dimensionality and multivariate relationship with alexithymia and anxiety in the general population

BackgroundAutism is characterized by social and non-social alterations observed beyond the clinical diagnosis. Research analyzing the expression of autism traits in the general population helps to unravel the relationship between autism dimensions and other associated variables, such as alexithymia and anxiety. The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) was developed to assess autism traits in the general population; however, inconsistent results regarding its dimensionality have emerged. AimsThis study aimed to extend evidence about the AQ measurement model, and explore the multivariate relationship between autism traits, alexithymia, and trait anxiety. Methods292 adults of the general population were recruited. An Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis were performed to assess the factorial structure of AQ. A path analysis was carried out to explore the relationship between autism traits, alexithymia, and trait anxiety. ResultsThe results supported a three-factor model of AQ. The path analysis model showed evidence of a significant role of alexithymia as a mediator of the relationship between autism traits and anxiety. Conclusions and implicationsThe present study provides empirical support for a three-factor model of AQ in the general population. The association between autism traits, alexithymia, and anxiety dimensions highlights the multidimensional nature of these variables and the need to account for their distinct impact on autism-related variables.

Diminished ability to integrate target stimuli with context during emotional recognition in individuals with broad autism phenotype.

Individuals with broad autism phenotype (BAP) have a tendency not to integrate emotional stimuli with the surrounding context. They have also shown different patterns and abilities in processing positive and negative emotions. This study aimed to examine whether the effect of context on target stimuli could vary depending on the type of target emotion in individuals with BAP. Based on the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ) and Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), 36 individuals with BAP and 33 healthy controls were selected. All the participants performed an overlap-emotional task consisting of six conditions: 2 (congruence: congruent and incongruent) × 3 (emotion: fearful, sad, and happy). Reaction time and accuracy were measured as dependent variables. The results revealed that the individuals with BAP showed no difference in reaction time between the condition of congruence and incongruence, but that the control group was faster to categorize facial expression on the condition of congruence than that of incongruence regardless of the type of target emotion. There were no differences between the two groups in any of the conditions with regard to accuracy. These findings indicate that individuals with BAP tend not to integrate target emotions with contextual information, a feature that could worsen the speed of emotional recognition in individuals with BAP. This study confirmed that the individuals with BAP have different cognition patterns in emotional recognition than the control group.

The perception of intonational and emotional speech prosody produced with and without a face mask: an exploratory individual differences study

Face masks affect the transmission of speech and obscure facial cues. Here, we examine how this reduction in acoustic and facial information affects a listener’s understanding of speech prosody. English sentence pairs that differed in their intonational (statement/question) and emotional (happy/sad) prosody were created. These pairs were recorded by a masked and unmasked speaker and manipulated to contain audio or not. This resulted in a continuum from typical unmasked speech with audio (easiest) to masked speech without audio (hardest). English listeners (N = 129) were tested on their discrimination of these statement/question and happy/sad pairs. We also collected six individual difference measures previously reported to affect various linguistic processes: Autism Spectrum Quotient, musical background, phonological short-term memory (digit span, 2-back), and congruence task (flanker, Simon) behavior. The results indicated that masked statement/question and happy/sad prosodies were harder to discriminate than unmasked prosodies. Masks can therefore make it more difficult to understand a speaker’s intended intonation or emotion. Importantly, listeners differed considerably in their ability to understand prosody. When wearing a mask, speakers should try to speak clearer and louder, if possible, and make intentions and emotions explicit to the listener.

The Relationship Among Autistic Traits, Impulsivity, and Functionality in Patients With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic mental disorder that causes disabilities. This study investigated the relationship among impulsivity, autistic traits, and disabilities in patients with OCD. We included 88 patients with OCD and 90 healthy volunteers without any mental disorders. The participants were evaluated using the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11), and World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0). Regression analyses revealed that AQ-attention switching and BIS-attentional subscale scores were associated with WHODAS-overall score in the OCD group ( p = 0.017 and p = 0.034, respectively). In the OCD group, AQ total, social skills, and communication subdomain scores partially mediated the relationship between impulsivity and disability. BIS total, attentional, and nonplanning subscale scores partially mediated the relationship between autistic traits and disability. Developing new treatment strategies for cognitive recovery, in addition to traditional treatment approaches in patients with OCD, may help increase functionality in patients with OCD.