Psychometric validation and refinement of the Interoception Sensory Questionnaire (ISQ) in adolescents and adults on the autism spectrum

Background Individuals on the autism spectrum are reported to display alterations in interoception, the sense of the internal state of the body. The Interoception Sensory Questionnaire (ISQ) is a 20-item self-report measure of interoception specifically intended to measure this construct in autistic people. The psychometrics of the ISQ, however, have not previously been evaluated in a large sample of autistic individuals. Methods Using confirmatory factor analysis, we evaluated the latent structure of the ISQ in a large online sample of adults on the autism spectrum and found that the unidimensional model fit the data poorly. Using misspecification analysis to identify areas of local misfit and item response theory to investigate the appropriateness of the seven-point response scale, we removed redundant items and collapsed the response options to put forth a novel eight-item, five-response choice ISQ. Results The revised, five-response choice ISQ (ISQ-8) showed much improved fit while maintaining high internal reliability. Differential item functioning (DIF) analyses indicated that the items of the ISQ-8 were answered in comparable ways by autistic adolescents and adults and across multiple other sociodemographic groups. Limitations Our results were limited by the fact that we did not collect data for typically developing controls, preventing the analysis of DIF by diagnostic status. Additionally, while this study proposes a new 5-response scale for the ISQ-8, our data were not collected using this method; thus, the psychometric properties for the revised version of this instrument require further investigation. Conclusion The ISQ-8 shows promise as a reliable and valid measure of interoception in adolescents and adults on the autism spectrum, but additional work is needed to examine its psychometrics in this population. A free online score calculator has been created to facilitate the use of ISQ-8 latent trait scores for further studies of autistic adolescents and adults (available at https://asdmeasures.shinyapps.io/ISQ_score/).

Children’s Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire (C-GSQ): Validation of a Simplified and Visually Aided Questionnaire

Sensory sensitivities have been linked to autism in a growing body of literature. Despite this, current measures assessing sensory sensitivities do not appear to fully capture this, especially in children. This study aimed to adapt an adult measure of sensory sensitivities – the Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire – for use with children aged between aged between 8 and 11. 234 children filled out this adaption while their caregivers completed the Autism Spectrum Quotient: Children’s Version. The results found that the two questionnaires had a significant but surprisingly small correlation. Future work should look at identifying the extent to which the Children’s Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire is capturing greater sensory difficulties in non-autistic children or increased measurement error.

Psychometric Validation and Refinement of the Interoception Sensory Questionnaire (ISQ) in Adolescents and Adults on the Autism Spectrum

Background: Individuals on the autism spectrum are reported to display alterations in interoception, the sense of the internal state of the body. The Interoception Sensory Questionnaire (ISQ) is a 20-item self-report measure of interoception specifically intended to measure this construct in autistic people. Thus far, the ISQ has not undergone psychometric evaluation in a large sample.Methods: Using confirmatory factor analysis, we evaluated the latent structure of the ISQ in a large online sample of adults on the autism spectrum and found that the unidimensional model fit the data poorly. Using misspecification analysis to identify areas of local misfit and item response theory to investigate the appropriateness of the 7-point response scale, we removed redundant items and collapsed the response options to put forth a novel 8-item, 5-response choice ISQ.Results: The revised, 5-response choice ISQ (ISQ-8) showed much improved fit while maintaining high internal reliability. Differential item functioning (DIF) analyses indicated that the items ISQ-8 were answered in comparable ways by autistic adolescents and adults and across multiple other sociodemographic groups.Limitations: Our results were limited by the fact that we did not collect data for typically developing controls, preventing the analysis of DIF by diagnostic status. Additionally, while this study proposes a new 5-response scale for the ISQ-8, our data were not collected using this method, and thus the psychometric properties for the revised version of this instrument require further investigation.Conclusion: The ISQ-8 shows promise as a reliable and valid measure of interoception in adolescents and adults on the autism spectrum, but additional work is needed to examine its psychometrics in this population. A free online score calculator has been created to facilitate the use of ISQ-8 latent trait scores for further studies of autistic adolescents and adults (available at https://asdmeasures.shinyapps.io/ISQ_score/).

The Dutch Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire: Psychometric properties of an autism-specific sensory sensitivity measure

Sensory sensitivity is common in autistic people and since the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.), hypo- and hyper-responsiveness to sensory stimuli are part of one of the criteria domains for an autism spectrum disorder classification. For scientific research and the clinical practice, one needs reliable and valid questionnaires that measure sensory sensitivity and can distinguish between hypo- and hyper-responsiveness. We translated the Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire into Dutch. The aim was to examine the psychometric properties and the clinical use of the Dutch Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire in 78 autistic and 68 typically developing adults (18–45 years; IQ > 70). Just like the original Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire, the Dutch Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire is a reliable and valid questionnaire. The Dutch Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire had reliable hypo- and hyper-responsiveness subscales, reasonable to good modality subscales and was stable over time. Moreover, using the 95th percentile of the typically developing group as cut-off, we showed that two thirds of the autistic adults had heightened sensory sensitivity. We also showed that hypo- and hyper-responsiveness do co-exist in both autistic and typically developing adults. In sum, we conclude that the Dutch Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire is suitable to be used in scientific research as well as in the clinical practice.