Examination of the reliability and factor structure of the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) in a non-clinical sample

Purpose The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) is a widely used tool to quantify autistic traits in the general population. This study aims to report the distribution, group differences and factor structure of autistic traits in Indian general population. The work also assesses the criterion validity of AQ across three patient group samples – autism spectrum disorder (ASD), obsessive-compulsive disorder and social anxiety disorder. Design/methodology/approach In this study, psychometric properties of the adapted AQ were assessed among 450 neurotypical university students matched for age. Confirmatory factor analysis was done to see if the adapted AQ fits the original factor structure. Test–retest, internal consistency reliability and criterion validity were found out. Group differences (gender and field of study) in AQ were also assessed. Findings Autistic traits were found to be continuously distributed in the population, and patterns of group differences were consistent with previous studies. The adapted AQ had five factors resembling the original factor structure with a good fit, and 38 items instead of the original 50 items. Acceptable reliability coefficients were demonstrated along with criterion validity across clinical groups. Originality/value This work is the first to present the pattern of distribution and factor structure of autistic traits among neurotypical adults from Eastern India, a culturally different population, as well as a reliable and valid tool to assess autistic traits in Bengali, a language with 300 million speakers. The findings add to the growing literature on AQ measurement and the concept of autism as a quantitative trait, examined outside of the western samples.

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Evaluation of the factor structure of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient

Personality and Individual Differences ◽

10.1016/j.paid.2010.10.015 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 50 (2) ◽

pp. 310-314 ◽

Cited By ~ 54

Author(s):

Patricia H. Kloosterman ◽

Kateryna V. Keefer ◽

Elizabeth A. Kelley ◽

Laura J. Summerfeldt ◽

James D.A. Parker

Keyword(s):

Factor Structure ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Autism Spectrum Quotient

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Construction and psychometric evaluation of a short form of the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire

Psihologija ◽

10.2298/psi170619014s ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 51 (2) ◽

pp. 243-258

Author(s):

Irena Stojkovic ◽

Bojan Ducic ◽

Svetlana Kaljaca ◽

Mirjana Djordjevic

Keyword(s):

Personality Traits ◽

Factor Structure ◽

Social Relations ◽

Discriminant Validity ◽

Factor Model ◽

Short Form ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Broad Autism Phenotype ◽

Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽

Autism Phenotype

Broad Autism Phenotype (BAP) represents a group of personality traits expressed in limitations in social relations and pragmatic speech dimension, and rigid behavior. The Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ) measures personality traits which are crucial in defining the BAP. In the present research, three studies were conducted with the general aim to create a short form of the BAPQ. Study 1 was carried out to determine the factor structure of the BAPQ in a sample of 501 students and to select items for the short form. Obtained components: Aloofness, Rigidity, and Pragmatics, corresponding to the structure of the instrument proposed by authors, accounted for 26.61% of variance. Study 2 was conducted to examine factor structure of the BAPQ short form (BAPQ-SF), in a sample of 298 students. This solution explained 45.76% of the total variance. The aim of Study 3 was to determine psychometric characteristics of the BAPQ-SF in a sample of students (N = 294). Three-factor model of the BAPQ-SF was confirmed. Correlations of the BAPQ-SF with the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and the Delta 10 suggest convergent and discriminant validity of the BAPQ-SF.

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Psychometric concerns with the 10-item Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ10) as a measure of trait autism in the general population

Experimental Results ◽

10.1017/exp.2019.3 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Emily C. Taylor ◽

Lucy A. Livingston ◽

Rachel A. Clutterbuck ◽

Punit Shah

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Screening Tool ◽

Clinical Sample ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Self Report ◽

Clinical Samples ◽

Future Research ◽

Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽

Internal Reliability ◽

Diagnostic Screening

AbstractThe 10-item Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ10) is a self-report questionnaire used in clinical and research settings as a diagnostic screening tool for autism in adults. The AQ10 is also increasingly being used to quantify trait autism along a unitary dimension and correlated against performance on other psychological/medical tasks. However, its psychometric properties have yet to be examined when used in this way. By analysing AQ10 data from a large non-clinical sample of adults (n = 6,595), we found that the AQ10 does not have a unifactorial factor structure, and instead appears to have several factors. The AQ10 also had poor internal reliability. Taken together, whilst the AQ10 has important clinical utility in screening for diagnosable autism, it may not be a psychometrically robust measure when administered in non-clinical samples from the general population. Therefore, we caution against its use as a measure of trait autism in future research.

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A-171 A Factor Analytic Investigation of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, Second Edition in a Pediatric Clinical Sample

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology ◽

10.1093/arclin/acaa068.171 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (6) ◽

pp. 965-965

Author(s):

Lace J ◽

Seitz D ◽

Kennedy E ◽

Austin T ◽

Ferguson B ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Executive Function ◽

Factor Structure ◽

Factor Model ◽

Clinical Sample ◽

Parent Report ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Clinical Samples ◽

Behavior Rating ◽

Behavior Rating Inventory ◽

Three Factor

Abstract Objective The parent-report Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, Second Edition (BRIEF-2) is a widely used measure in pediatric clinical neuropsychology. Unfortunately, despite notable changes from its predecessor, few studies to date have examined its internal factor structure (comprised of Behavioral Regulation [BRI], Emotion Regulation [ERI], and Cognitive Regulation [CRI]). Thus, this study sought to investigate the dimensionality of the parent-report BRIEF-2 in a mixed clinical sample. Method Two hundred two (202) outpatient pediatric neuropsychology examinees (M age = 9.90; 68% males; 53.5% with diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder) with complete data for the parent-report BRIEF-2 were extracted from an archival dataset. The sample was randomly split for confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses (CFA and EFA; ns = 101). Results Descriptive results revealed elevated scores across BRIEF-2 scales (Global Executive Composite M T = 70.16). CFA revealed that the theoretical three-factor model described by the BRIEF-2’s authors provided generally poor fit (root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = .12). Also, the three-factor model did not provide statistically significantly nor relatively better fit than a simpler two-factor model (RMSEA = .12), which merged BRI and ERI (consistent with the original BRIEF), identified via EFA. Conclusion(s) A two-factor structure (CRI and BRI/ERI) for the BRIEF-2 may be a more parsimonious and preferred model compared to the theoretical three-factor model in heavily neurodevelopmental clinical samples with high levels of reported executive dysfunction. Implications of these findings in context of previous literature, limitations of the present study, and appropriate directions for future inquiry are noted.

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