Autism in Aotearoa

Abstract

<jats:p> Abstract. Screening measures for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are important tools for clinicians and researchers. However, where a measure developed and validated for one population is used with another, its performance in this new context must be carefully examined. The RAADS-14, a brief ASD screen developed in Sweden, was evaluated with a sample of New Zealand adults ( N = 387), 41 of whom self-reported a prior diagnosis of ASD. The convergent validity of the RAADS-14 (Hypothesis 2) was supported by a strong positive correlation with the AQ-10 (short version of the Autism Spectrum Quotient), r = .81. Discriminant validity (Hypothesis 3) was also supported by a strong negative correlation with the EQ-Short (short version of the Empathy Quotient), r = −.75. However, the measure did not meet inferential criteria for internal consistency (Hypothesis 1), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) found a poor fit of the proposed three-factor model (Hypothesis 4) to the data. A cut-off score of 14/42 provided adequate sensitivity (95%) to detect participants with self-reported ASD diagnoses, but not adequate specificity (70%), suggesting a very high rate of false positives should be expected if relying on RAADS-14 scores alone to interpret presence of ASD. In sum, our results do not provide sufficient evidence of reliability and validity to support the use of the RAADS-14 with the New Zealand population. We provide suggestions for refinement of the RAADS-14 that may lead to increased reliability and validity. </jats:p>

Development and Initial Validation of the Russian Version of the RAADS-14: A Self-Report Questionnaire to Assess Autistic Traits

“…While this paper was in preparation, the results of another study assessing the RAADS-14 properties for a New Zealand national sample were published [31]. The two studies are similar in their purpose and design, and there are notable similarities in the results as well.…”

“…Sample 2: A sample was recruited using snowball sampling by targeting autismrelated communities to ensure a higher-than-normal ratio of adults with ASD (total n = 509). To provide the initial estimates of the sensitivity of the RAADS-14 Rus in this study, we relied on self-reported ASD diagnosis, reportedly established in clinical settings (n = 49) similar to another recent study assessing the RAADS-14 properties for a different national sample [31]; for a smaller subset of the participants that gave their consent (n = 13), it was further verified using ADOS-2 conducted by a certified specialist. All the participants in this sample used web-based survey forms and completed them at their convenience.…”

Development and Initial Validation of The Russian Version of The RAADS-14: A Self-Report Questionnaire to Assess Autistic Traits

“…While, taken per se, these discriminative properties can be considered operational, it should be noted that using the RAADS-14 Rus as a screening tool with this cut-off would yield a rather low positive predictive value, given the estimated prevalence of high functioning forms of ASD. While this paper was in preparation, the results of another recent study assessing the RAADS-14 properties for a New Zealand national sample were published 30 . The two studies are similar in their purpose and design, and there are notable similarities in the results as well.…”

“…Sample 2: A sample with a higher than normal ratio of adults with ASD (total n=509) was recruited using snowball sampling by targeting autism-related communities to ensure a higher than normal ratio of participants with ASD. To provide the initial estimates of the sensitivity of the RAADS-14 Rus in this study we relied on self-reported ASD diagnosis, reportedly established in clinical settings (n=49), similarly to another recent study assessing the RAADS-14 properties for a different national sample 30 ; for a smaller subset of the participants that gave their consent (n=13) it was further veri ed by ADOS-2. All the participants in this sample used web-based survey forms and completed them at their convenience.…”