Measuring Autism Traits in the Adult General Population with the Brief Autism-Spectrum Quotient, AQ-10: Findings from the Stockholm Public Health Cohort

Lundin, Andreas; Kosidou, Kyriaki; Dalman, Christina

doi:10.1007/s10803-018-3749-9

Cited by 44 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…The mean AQ-10 score was 2, (SD = 2), (range = 0-7), which is similar to the mean AQ-10 score of 2.5 reported by Lundin, Kosidou and Dalman (2019) in a neurotypical sample. The mean CAPS score was 7, (SD = 5), (range = 0-25) which is similar to the mean CAPS score of 7.3 reported by Bell, Halligan & Ellis, (2006) in a neurotypical sample.…”

Section: Aq-10 and Capssupporting

confidence: 79%

Binocular rivalry dynamics associated with high levels of self-reported autistic traits suggest an imbalance of cortical excitation and inhibition

Dunn

Jones

2020

Behavioural Brain Research

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An imbalance in cortical excitation and inhibition (E/I) may underlie both social and nonsocial symptoms of autism spectrum conditions (ASC). Recent work suggests that an E/I imbalance may underlie some of the sensory differences that are characteristic of ASCs such as anomalous perception. Binocular rivalry dynamics are thought to reflect the balance of E/I in the brain and could serve as a behavioural biomarker for ASC. Previous studies of clinical ASC populations have found a slower rate of binocular rivalry transitions; increased duration of the mixed percept and reduced perceptual suppression. There are some mixed reports of altered rivalry dynamics in the neurotypical population with high self-reported levels of autistic traits. Therefore, we used simple grating stimuli to measure binocular rivalry dynamics in a sample of seventy-nine adults aged 18 -55 years. We additionally measured the level of autistic traits with the AQ-10 and used CAPS as a measure of anomalous perception. Bayesian correlations showed that those with higher AQ scores had a slower rate of perceptual switching and a longer mixed percept duration. Significant regression models with CAPS and AQ score revealed that AQ score was a significant predictor of switch rate and mixed percept duration, whereas CAPS was not. We also report that CAPS significantly predicted perceptual suppression, whereas AQ score did not. Overall, our findings suggest that in a non-clinical population, autistic traits are a predictor of binocular rivalry dynamics and the cortical E/I imbalance thought to underlie symptoms of ASC may extend to the broader phenotype.

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Section: Aq-10 and Capssupporting

confidence: 79%

Binocular rivalry dynamics associated with high levels of self-reported autistic traits suggest an imbalance of cortical excitation and inhibition

Dunn

Jones

2020

Behavioural Brain Research

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“…With the inclusion of individuals without formal autism diagnoses, we followed recent practice and convincing arguments from within the academic community ( Au-Yeung et al, 2019 ; Lewis, 2016a ; Milner et al, 2019 ). As female autism has only recently been better understood by professionals and the public, there are likely many older women who have never been diagnosed, especially given the accessibility barriers in place ( Lewis, 2017 ) and the sex-bias in primary healthcare screening tools and ‘gold standard’ diagnostic measures ( Gould, 2017 ; Lundin et al, 2019 ; Moseley et al, 2018 ; Murray et al, 2017 , 2019 ). Until our ability to identify female autism improves, it may be important for studies of ageing autistic people to include those who have self-identified.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the AQ-10, five of the six participants who completed it scored above cut-off. Scores below the cut-offs are not concerning, as the suitability of both measures for autistic women has been queried ( Lundin et al, 2019 ; Moseley et al, 2018 ; Murray et al, 2017 , 2019 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) participants having a mean score of 15.4, SD : 9.3). Autistic adults in the original investigation of the AQ-10 scored an average of 7.9 of 10 (standard deviation: 1.9) as compared to a normative score of 2.7 ( SD : 2) (Allison et al, 2012); a cut-off score of 6 was identified as best balancing specificity and sensitivity, and scores of 6 and above have since been ratified as the point at which full assessment is advisable, at least for autistic men without ID (Booth et al, 2013; Lundin et al, 2019). On the RAADS-14, three of the five participants who completed it scored above cut-off (P4 having experienced frustration with the inflexibility of the test).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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‘When my autism broke’: A qualitative study spotlighting autistic voices on menopause

Moseley

Druce

Turner‐Cobb

2020

Autism

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Autistic women often struggle with the onset of menstruation, a key transition point in the female reproductive lifespan. Presently, there is no research investigating how autistic people navigate the menopausal transition, and whether it poses additional challenges in addition to those already faced by neurotypical women. As a preliminary participatory study in this area, we conducted an online focus group with seven autistic individuals, aged 49–63 years (median = 64.5 years) and assigned female at birth, to explore the state of knowledge about the menopause in autism, difficulties the menopause might bring, support that might be needed, and what questions require scientific investigation. Thematic analysis of the discussion generated three themes: (a) lack of knowledge and understanding; (b) cracking the mask and adaptive functioning; and (c) finding support. Themes suggested a lack of professional knowledge, understanding and communication about menopause for autistic people, and an absence of support. Menopause was discussed as heightening pre-existing and generating new cognitive, social, emotional and sensory difficulties. This study illustrates the need for greater focus of attention towards how autistic people cope with the major life transition of menopause. Lay abstract Autistic girls are known to struggle with the onset of menstruation, reporting that during their period, sensory sensitivities are heightened, it becomes more difficult to think clearly and control their emotions and they struggle more with everyday life and self-care. Yet surprisingly, nothing is known about how autistic women handle the menopausal transition in midlife. In non-autistic women, the menopause brings many physical changes and challenging symptoms from hot flushes to feeling more anxious and depressed. Because autistic women are already vulnerable to suicide, poor physical and mental health, and because they may already struggle with planning, controlling their emotions and coping with change, the menopause may be an especially challenging time. Yet, not one single study exists on the menopause in autism, so we conducted an online discussion (focus group) with seven autistic women. They confirmed that very little is known about menopause in autistic people, very little support is available and that menopause might be especially difficult for autistic people. Autism-related difficulties (including sensory sensitivity, socializing with others and communicating needs) were reported to worsen during the menopause, often so dramatically that some participants suggested they found it impossible to continue to mask their struggles. Participants also reported having extreme meltdowns, experiencing anxiety and depression, and feeling suicidal. This study highlights how important it is that professionals pay attention to menopause in autism, and discusses future research directions.

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“…It is also applied in research to measure autistic traits in the general population (e.g., Lewton et al, 2019;Lin et al, 2020;Yaxu et al, 2020). In particular, its ten-item short form (AQ-10; Allison et al, 2012) can be an efficient measure for research purposes (e.g., Bertrams & Schlegel, 2020;Gollwitzer et al, 2019;Lundin et al, 2019). However, recently, the AQ-10 has been demonstrated to be psychometrically insufficient (Taylor et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Internal reliability, homogeneity, and factor structure of the ten-item Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ-10) with two additional response categories

Bertrams

2021

Exp Results

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The ten-item short form of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ-10) has been used to efficiently assess autistic traits in the general population; however, the psychometric properties of the AQ-10 in terms of its internal reliability and its unifactorial structure have recently been questioned. In the present study (N = 797), whether the internal reliability is increased when the AQ-10 is applied with six rather than the conventional four response categories has been investigated. Moreover, correlational and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to examine the reason for potential inhomogeneity within the AQ-10. The results suggest that the internal reliability of the AQ-10 was slightly increased but is still unsatisfactory, likely due to the incompatibility of items from two subdimensions: attention to detail and imagination. With six of the AQ-10 items, crucial aspects of the autistic personality may be measured, but other important aspects would be neglected; thus, the measure requires further psychometric development.

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Measuring Autism Traits in the Adult General Population with the Brief Autism-Spectrum Quotient, AQ-10: Findings from the Stockholm Public Health Cohort

Cited by 44 publications

References 14 publications

Binocular rivalry dynamics associated with high levels of self-reported autistic traits suggest an imbalance of cortical excitation and inhibition

Binocular rivalry dynamics associated with high levels of self-reported autistic traits suggest an imbalance of cortical excitation and inhibition

‘When my autism broke’: A qualitative study spotlighting autistic voices on menopause

Internal reliability, homogeneity, and factor structure of the ten-item Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ-10) with two additional response categories

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