Validation of the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire in a Total Population Sample

Abstract

There is a lack of instruments validated for screening of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in general populations and primary care settings. The Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) has previously been shown to have good screening properties in clinical settings. We used the ASSQ to screen a total population of 7-9 year-olds (N = 9430) for ASD in the Bergen Child Study. Parents and teachers filled in the ASSQ, and high-scorers were invited for clinical assessment, along with a large group of screen negative children. We found that the ASSQ was well suited as a general population screen. Combining parent and teacher ASSQ and using cut-off score of > or =17 provided the most efficient screen with sensitivity of 0.91 and specificity of 0.86.

Mental Health in Children Born Extremely Preterm Without Severe Neurodevelopmental Disabilities

“…[39][40][41] By accident, 1 of the items (item 9) was omitted in the reference group 40 and therefore not included. We report scores of the ≥98th percentile, because a combined score at this cutoff from parent and/or teacher is reported to have higher sensitivity and specificity than the 95th percentile in identifying children with an ASD diagnosis.…”

“…We report scores of the ≥98th percentile, because a combined score at this cutoff from parent and/or teacher is reported to have higher sensitivity and specificity than the 95th percentile in identifying children with an ASD diagnosis. 41 Swanson, Noland, and Pelham Questionnaire, Revision IV The Swanson, Noland, and Pelham Questionnaire, Revision IV (SNAP-IV) is a screening tool for ADHD. 42 It contains 9 items on inattention and 9 items on hyperactivity/impulsivity that correspond to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria for ADHD.…”

“…Our finding that the difference in mental health symptoms due to gender was similar for the EP/ELBW and reference children is in agreement with some previous studies. 4,5,28 There was limited agreement between parents and teachers in identifying children with mental health symptoms, a feature also observed in general 41,58,59 and in previous EP/ELBW populations. 10,23 The agreement was poorest for ASD symptoms.…”

“…10,23 The agreement was poorest for ASD symptoms. Posserud et al 41 found a similar lack of agreement on ASD symptoms when using the ASSQ and DAWBA (Development and Well-Being Assessment), and also that parents and teachers tend to identify different children with ASD. A possible explanation may be differences in social demands or expectations for socialization at home and at school.…”

Tamizaje del Síndrome de Asperger en estudiantes de dos ciudades de Colombia a través de las escalas CAST y ASSQ/ Childhood Asperger syndrome test in Colombian school children through cast questionnaire and ASSQ TESTS

“…En otro trabajo se halló una sensibilidad de 1.0 y especificidad de 0.92 para padres y profesores; y comparando el ASSQ con la entrevista estructurada (DAWBA), los investigadores observaron mayor área bajo la curva para el test contestado por padres (0.98, 95 IC 0.97-0.99); a su vez usando los criterios combinados para padres y profesores con un punto de corte ≥17, se observó una sensibilidad de 0.91 y especificidad de 0.86 (PPV=0.36, NPV=0.99) (Posserud, Lundervold & Gillberg, 2009 escalas fue aleatorio, de manera que el 50 % de los padres y tutores de los estudiantes de 4 a 11 iniciaron con ASSQ y el otro 50 % con CAST. Se estimó un tamaño de muestra de 1972 niños y adolescentes menores de 17 años de las dos ciudades, la mitad a seleccionar en cada una de ellas.…”