Brief Report: Factor Analysis of the Brazilian Version of the Adult Autism Spectrum Quotient

2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 1847-1853 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Horta Tabosa do Egito ◽  
Gabrielle Martins Ribeiro Ferreira ◽  
Manoela Izidoro Gonçalves ◽  
Ana Alexandra Caldas Osório
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Brazilian Version ◽  
Adult Autism

scholarly journals The Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory (CATI): development and validation of a new measure of autistic traits in the general population

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael C. W. English ◽  
Gilles E. Gignac ◽  
Troy A. W. Visser ◽  
Andrew J. O. Whitehouse ◽  
James T. Enns ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
General Population ◽  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Predictive Ability ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Sensory Sensitivity ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract Background Traits and characteristics qualitatively similar to those seen in diagnosed autism spectrum disorder can be found to varying degrees in the general population. To measure these traits and facilitate their use in autism research, several questionnaires have been developed that provide broad measures of autistic traits [e.g. Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ)]. However, since their development, our understanding of autism has grown considerably, and it is arguable that existing measures do not provide an ideal representation of the trait dimensions currently associated with autism. Our aim was to create a new measure of autistic traits that reflects our current understanding of autism, the Comprehensive Autism Trait Inventory (CATI). Methods In Study 1, 107 pilot items were administered to 1119 individuals in the general population and exploratory factor analysis of responses used to create the 42-item CATI comprising six subscales: Social Interactions, Communication, Social Camouflage, Repetitive Behaviours, Cognitive Rigidity, and Sensory Sensitivity. In Study 2, the CATI was administered to 1068 new individuals and confirmatory factor analysis used to verify the factor structure. The AQ and BAPQ were administered to validate the CATI, and additional autistic participants were recruited to compare the predictive ability of the measures. In Study 3, to validate the CATI subscales, the CATI was administered to 195 new individuals along with existing valid measures qualitatively similar to each CATI subscale. Results The CATI showed convergent validity at both the total-scale (r ≥ .79) and subscale level (r ≥ .68). The CATI also showed superior internal reliability for total-scale scores (α = .95) relative to the AQ (α = .90) and BAPQ (α = .94), consistently high reliability for subscales (α > .81), greater predictive ability for classifying autism (Youden’s Index = .62 vs .56–.59), and demonstrated measurement invariance for sex. Limitations Analyses of predictive ability for classifying autism depended upon self-reported diagnosis or identification of autism. The autistic sample was not large enough to test measurement invariance of autism diagnosis. Conclusions The CATI is a reliable and economical new measure that provides observations across a wide range of trait dimensions associated with autism, potentially precluding the need to administer multiple measures, and to our knowledge, the CATI is also the first broad measure of autistic traits to have dedicated subscales for social camouflage and sensory sensitivity.

scholarly journals Autism-Spectrum Traits Predict the Embodiment of Manipulation Knowledge about Object Concepts: Evidence from Eyetracking

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles P. Davis ◽  
Inge-Marie Eigsti ◽  
Roisin Healy ◽  
Gitte H. Joergensen ◽  
Eiling Yee
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Prior Work ◽  
Object A ◽  
Conceptual Representations ◽  
Related Object ◽  
Object Relatedness ◽  
Adult Autism ◽  
Spectrum Characteristics ◽  
Concept Representations

Sensorimotor-based theories of cognition predict that even subtle developmental motor differences, such as those found in individuals on the autism spectrum, affect how we represent the meaning of manipulable objects (e.g., faucet). Here, we test 85 participants, who completed the Adult Autism Spectrum Quotient (to measure autism-spectrum characteristics), on a visual world experiment designed to assess conceptual representations of manipulable objects. Participants heard words referring to manually manipulable objects (e.g., faucet) while we recorded their eye movements to arrays of four objects: the named object, a related object typically manipulated similarly (e.g., jar), and two unrelated objects. Consistent with prior work, we observed more looks to the related object than to the unrelated ones (i.e., a manipulation-relatedness effect). This effect has been taken to reflect overlapping conceptual representations of objects sharing manipulation characteristics (e.g., faucet and jar) due to embodied sensorimotor properties being part of their representations. Critically, we observed that as participant-level autism-spectrum characteristics increased, manipulation-relatedness effects became smaller, whereas in control trials that included a shape (instead of manipulation) related object, relatedness effects increased. The results support the hypothesis that differences in object-concept representations on the autism spectrum emerge at least in part via differences in sensorimotor experience.

scholarly journals Defining the Optimal Threshold Scores for Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum (AdAS Spectrum) in Clinical and General Population

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 204-211
Author(s):  
Liliana Dell’Osso ◽  
Claudia Carmassi ◽  
Ivan Mirko Cremone ◽  
Dario Muti ◽  
Antonio Salerni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Dsm 5 ◽  
Diagnostic Thresholds ◽  
Psychometric Tool ◽  
Autistic Symptoms ◽  
Adult Autism ◽  
Clinically Significant

Background: The Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum (AdAS Spectrum) is a recently developed instrument tailored to assess the broad range of full-threshold as well as sub-threshold manifestations related to the autism spectrum. Although it has proved to be a valuable instrument for quantitative assessment of autistic symptoms, the AdAS Spectrum still lacks validated diagnostic thresholds. Objective: The aim of this study was to define the best cut-off scores of the AdAS Spectrum for determining the presence of subthreshold autistic traits as well as a clinically significant autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods: Our sample was composed of 39 patients with full-blown ASD, 73 subjects with autistic traits, and 150 healthy controls. Subjects were evaluated by trained psychiatrists, who performed a clinical diagnosis according to DSM-5 and then assessed with the AdAS Spectrum and the Autism Spectrum Quotient. Results: Our results showed that the most discriminant cut-off scores were 70 for identifying subjects with full-blown ASD, and 43 for determining the presence of significant autistic traits. Conclusion: The threshold values proposed here showed satisfying levels of specificity and sensibility, as well as a good agreement with the diagnosis according to DSM-5 criteria, confirming the validity of the AdAS Spectrum as a psychometric tool for measuring ASD-related conditions in the clinical and general population.

scholarly journals Evaluating the latent structure of the non-social domain of autism in autistic adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Grove ◽  
Sander Begeer ◽  
Anke M. Scheeren ◽  
Ricarda F. Weiland ◽  
Rosa A. Hoekstra
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Social Domain ◽  
Dsm 5 ◽  
Social Traits ◽  
Autistic Adults ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background The social domain of autism has been studied in depth, but the relationship between the non-social traits of autism has received less attention. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) outlines four criteria that make up the non-social domain including repetitive motor movements, insistence on sameness, restricted interests and sensory sensitivity. There is a lack of research into the relationship between these four criteria. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the non-social traits of autism in a large sample of autistic adults. It explored whether these traits are best conceptualised as four distinct factors, or exist along a single dimension. Methods Participants included autistic adults from the Netherlands Autism Register. The four components identified within the DSM-5 non-social domain were measured by items from the Adult Routines Inventory, the Autism Spectrum Quotient short and the Sensory Perception Quotient short. Confirmatory factor analysis, as well as exploratory factor analysis and exploratory structural equation modelling, was implemented to examine the relationship between these four criteria. Results Results indicated that a four-factor model provided the best fit, mapping onto the DSM-5 criteria. These four factors were moderately correlated, suggesting that four distinct, yet related factors best describe the non-social domain of autism. The one-factor model did not provide a good fit, highlighting that the non-social domain of autism is not a unitary construct. Limitations The study included autistic adults who were cognitively able to complete the self-report measures. This may limit the generalisability of the findings to those who are less able to do so. Conclusions This study provided evidence for the multidimensional nature of the non-social domain of autism. Given only two of the four criteria within the non-social domain need to be endorsed for a diagnosis of autism, there is room for substantial variation across individuals, who will have a unique profile within the non-social domain. The results have implications for our understanding of the heterogeneous nature of autistic traits, as well as for how we conceptualise autism as a diagnostic category. This is important for the provision of diagnosis and support within research and clinical practice.

Short Report: Speeded Reasoning Moderates the Inverse Relationship Between Autistic-Like Traits and Emotion Recognition

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Bertrams ◽  
Katja Schlegel
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Inverse Relationship ◽  
Time Pressure ◽  
Recognition Performance ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Short Report ◽  
Reasoning Ability ◽  
Reasoning Test ◽  
The Mind

People high in autistic-like traits have been found to have difficulties with recognizing emotions from nonverbal expressions. However, findings on the autism—emotion recognition relationship are inconsistent. In the present study, we investigated whether speeded reasoning ability (reasoning performance under time pressure) moderates the inverse relationship between autistic-like traits and emotion recognition performance. We expected the negative correlation between autistic-like traits and emotion recognition to be less strong when speeded reasoning ability was high. MTurkers (N = 217) completed the ten item version of the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ-10), two emotion recognition tests using videos with sound (Geneva Emotion Recognition Test, GERT-S) and pictures (Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, RMET), and Baddeley's Grammatical Reasoning test to measure speeded reasoning. As expected, the higher the ability in speeded reasoning, the less were higher autistic-like traits related to lower emotion recognition performance. These results suggest that a high ability in making quick mental inferences may (partly) compensate for difficulties with intuitive emotion recognition related to autistic-like traits.

Psychometric characteristics of the Personality Belief Questionnaire – Short Form

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Donizete Tadeu Leite ◽  
Ederaldo José Lopes ◽  
Renata Ferrarez Fernandes Lopes
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Personality Disorders ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Factorial Validity ◽  
Dysfunctional Beliefs ◽  
Psychometric Characteristics ◽  
Brazilian Version ◽  
Practical Tool

This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Personality Belief Questionnaire – Short Form (PBQ-SF). A sample of 700 college students answered to the Brazilian version of the PBQ-SF. The results showed good estimates of reliability (Cronbach’s alpha) of the PBQ-SF scales, indicating a significant association between the beliefs of each of the scales. The results of factor analysis of the PBQ-SF were similar to its original version. Overall, the findings provide support for the existence of factorial validity for the Brazilian version of the PBQ-SF, suggesting that it is a practical tool for the measurement of dysfunctional beliefs related to personality disorders

scholarly journals Diachronic Tendency and Thinking Style Across the Broader Autism Spectrum: Sources of Individual Differences?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stian Orm ◽  
Ella Holt Holmberg ◽  
Paul L. Harris ◽  
Maria Nunez ◽  
Francisco Pons
Keyword(s):  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Broader Autism Phenotype ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Inner Speech ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Present Moment ◽  
Thinking Style ◽  
Mental Images ◽  
High School Degree ◽  
Future Events

Abstract Objectives First, to see whether previous studies showing a limited capacity to spontaneously evoke the past and the future of a present moment (diachronic tendency) and a prevalence of mental images over inner speech (thinking style) in individuals with autism spectrum disorder could be replicated in individuals belonging to the broader autism phenotype. Second, to test the hypothesis that individuals thinking with mental images have a more limited diachronic tendency compared with individuals thinking with inner speech. Methods Adults (N = 309, Mage = 31.5 years, 76% women) with at least a high school degree were assessed with the Autism Spectrum Quotient, a test of diachronic tendency comprising four pictures varying in social interactivity and dynamicity, and a thinking style scale comprising three items representing three different everyday situations. Results The results showed that adults with many autistic traits have a limited diachronic tendency but only when the situation is socially interactive and dynamic, think more in mental images than individuals with no or few autistic traits but nevertheless still think more with inner speech than with mental images, and the more the participants reported thinking in inner speech, the more they evoked past and future events when describing a socially interactive and dynamic situation. Conclusions More autistic traits are associated with a limited diachronic tendency in socially interactive and dynamic situations and more thinking in mental images, and thinking style could be one of the determinants of diachronic tendency in socially interactive and dynamic situations.

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