Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum (AdAS Spectrum): Validation of a questionnaire investigating subthreshold autism spectrum

Dell’Osso, Liliana; Gesi, Camilla; Massimetti, Enrico; Cremone, Ivan Mirko; Barbuti, Margherita; Maccariello, Giuseppe; Moroni, Ilenia; Barlati, Stefano; Castellini, Giovanni; Luciano, Mario; Bossini, Letizia; Rocchetti, Matteo; Signorelli, Maria; Aguglia, Eugenio; Fagiolini, Andrea; Politi, Pierluigi; Ricca, Valdo; Vita, Antonio; Carmassi, Claudia; Maj, Mario

doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2016.11.001

Cited by 84 publications

(110 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…The maximum score is 50, and scores above 32 suggest autistic traits [31,32]. The English version of the questionnaire has good validity [33]. The main author of the test approved a translation into Norwegian by consultants in child and adolescent psychiatry, but the Norwegian version has not been validated in this population (personal communication with the translator).…”

Section: Secondary Outcomes: Symptoms Of Autism and Adhdmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is there an association between full IQ score and mental health problems in young adults? A study with a convenience sample

et al. 2020

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Background: Intelligence is the aggregate or global capacity of the individual to act purposefully, to think rationally and to deal effectively with the environment. Previous studies have shown that individuals with intellectual disability, IQ < 70, have increased risk of being diagnosed with one or more mental disorders. We wanted to investigate if this also applies to individuals with IQ between 70 and 85. Methods: In this study, data was abstracted from a longitudinal follow-up study of individuals with low birth weight and a control group. In the present study, mental health of participants with borderline IQ, defined as a full IQ score 70-84, were compared with mental health of a reference group with full IQ scores ≥85. Mental health at age 19 was assessed using the Schedule for Affective Disorder and Schizophrenia for School-age Children Present and Lifetime (K-SADS P/L) whereby scores meeting the diagnostic criteria for a mental disorder were defined as having mental health problems. In addition the participants completed the ADHD-rating scale and the Autism Spectrum Quotient form (AQ). Logistic regression analyses were used to calculate odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for high scores on the K-SADS.Results: Thirty participants with borderline IQ and 146 controls were included. Sixteen (53%) of the participants with borderline IQ met the diagnostic criteria on the K-SADS for any diagnosis compared with 18 (12%) in the reference group (OR: 6.2; CI: 2.6-14.9). In particular the participants with borderline IQ had excess risk of ADHD and anxiety. These associations were slightly attenuated when adjusted for birth weight and parents' socioeconomic status. Conclusions: 53% of the participants with borderline IQ had increased risk for a research assessed psychiatric diagnosis compared to about one in ten in the reference group. The group with borderline IQ also had higher total scores and higher scores on some sub-scores included in the Autism Spectrum Quotient form. Our results points towards an increased vulnerability for mental illness in individuals with borderline low IQ.Trial registration: The main study is recorded by the Regional Committee for Health Research Ethics in Mid-Norway (as project number 4.2005.2605).

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Section: Secondary Outcomes: Symptoms Of Autism and Adhdmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is there an association between full IQ score and mental health problems in young adults? A study with a convenience sample

et al. 2020

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“…The patient was assessed by means of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Disorders (SCID-5), the Ritvo Autism and Asperger Diagnostic Scale (RAADS-r) [ 19 ], and the Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum (AdAS Spectrum) [ 20 ].…”

Section: Case Presentationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The test-retest reliability was also demonstrated to be adequate (Intraclass Correlation Coefficients above 0.90). Moreover, AdAS total score was highly correlated with RAADS-14 and AQ total score, with a Pearson's r correlation coefficient, respectively, of 0.77 and 0.83, and each AdAS domain positively correlated with RAADS-14 and AQ (ranging from r = 0.58 to r = 0.79) [ 20 ].…”

Section: Case Presentationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polysubstance and Behavioral Addictions in a Patient with Bipolar Disorder: Role of Lifetime Subthreshold Autism Spectrum

Dell’Osso

Conversano

Corsi

et al. 2018

Case Reports in Psychiatry

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This case report draws attention to the potential relevance of undetected autism spectrum symptoms in a bipolar patient with high work functioning showing a peculiar addictive profile with impulsive and antisocial behaviors. A 23-year-old man with a diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder (BD) and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) was hospitalized at the Psychiatric Clinic of the University of Pisa for diuretics and β-2 adrenergic agonist abuse in a remission phase of benzodiazepines and substance abuse. He reported a history of behavioral addictions in the framework of a global high work functioning with particular skills in computer science. When assessed for adult autism spectrum symptoms, despite not fulfilling a DSM-5 diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), he reported a score of 93/240 at the Ritvo Autism and Asperger Diagnostic Scale (RAADS-r) and of 88/160 at the Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum (AdAS Spectrum), both indicative of ASD. We argue the possible role of adult subthreshold autism spectrum features, generally disregarded in adult psychiatry, in the peculiar addictive profile developed by this patient with BD that may deserve appropriate treatment.

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“…Accordingly, we propose a subthreshold Autism Spectrum that explores autistic features by using a dimensional approach focusing on subthreshold, atypical and gender-specific features, as well as personality traits [6]. From this perspective, we developed the AdAS Spectrum questionnaire that explores the whole spectrum of manifestations of autism, including, but not limited to, the former DSM-IV diagnosis of AD, as well as some intermediate phenotypes lying at the boundaries of ASD and characterized by subthreshold to mild autism spectrum symptoms [91]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Asperger's Autistischen Psychopathen to DSM-5 Autism Spectrum Disorder and Beyond: A Subthreshold Autism Spectrum Model

Dell’Osso¹,

Luche²,

Gesi³

et al. 2016

CPEMH

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Growing interest has recently been devoted to partial forms of autism, lying at the diagnostic boundaries of those conditions previously diagnosed as Asperger’s Disorder. This latter includes an important retrieval of the European classical psychopathological concepts of adult autism to which Hans Asperger referred in his work. Based on the review of Asperger's Autistische Psychopathie, from first descriptions through the DSM-IV Asperger’s Disorder and up to the recent DSM-5 Autism Spectrum Disorder, the paper aims to propose a Subthreshold Autism Spectrum Model that encompasses not only threshold-level manifestations but also mild/atypical symptoms, gender-specific features, behavioral manifestations and personality traits associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This model includes, but is not limited to, the so-called broad autism phenotype spanning across the general population that does not fully meet Autism Spectrum Disorder criteria. From this perspective, we propose a subthreshold autism as a unique psychological/behavioral model for research that could help to understand the neurodevelopmental trajectories leading from autistic traits to a broad range of mental disorders.

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Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum (AdAS Spectrum): Validation of a questionnaire investigating subthreshold autism spectrum

Cited by 84 publications

References 68 publications

Is there an association between full IQ score and mental health problems in young adults? A study with a convenience sample

Is there an association between full IQ score and mental health problems in young adults? A study with a convenience sample

Polysubstance and Behavioral Addictions in a Patient with Bipolar Disorder: Role of Lifetime Subthreshold Autism Spectrum

From Asperger's Autistischen Psychopathen to DSM-5 Autism Spectrum Disorder and Beyond: A Subthreshold Autism Spectrum Model

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