TY - JOUR
T1 - Psychometric properties of the Autism Spectrum Disorder in Adults Screening Questionnaire (ASDASQ) in a sample of Italian psychiatric outpatients
AU - Fusar-Poli, Laura
AU - Bisso, Emanuele
AU - Concas, Ilaria
AU - Surace, Teresa
AU - Tinacci, Silvia
AU - Vanella, Antonio
AU - Furnari, Rosaria
AU - Signorelli, Maria Salvina
AU - Nylander, Lena
AU - Aguglia, Eugenio
PY - 2020/10/1
Y1 - 2020/10/1
N2 - Background: The present study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the Italian version of the Autism Spectrum Disorder in Adults Screening Questionnaire (ASDASQ), a screening tool for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among psychiatric outpatients. Methods: We recruited 340 subjects via an outpatient psychiatric service in Italy. Forty-eight had a diagnosis of ASD, confirmed after a comprehensive clinical assessment and the administration of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 (ADOS-2). The remaining 292 participants had other diagnoses, confirmed after a careful psychiatric evaluation and the administration of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5). The ASDASQ was administered to contact clinicians of each subject. Results: The ASDASQ showed outstanding accuracy (AUC = 0.96) in discriminating between ASD and non-ASD patients, with good sensitivity (0.85) and specificity (0.92). Agreement with clinical diagnosis was substantial (k = 0.68). Internal consistency of the tool was good (Cronbach's alpha = 0.82), while intra- (ICC = 0.97) and inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.92) were excellent. We found also a moderate correlation between ASDASQ and ADOS-2 scores in the ASD sample (r = 0.56). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the ASDASQ, in the Italian adaptation, may be considered a quick, simple, and effective tool to screen for ASD among psychiatric outpatients. Further studies are needed to evaluate its utility in other clinical settings.
AB - Background: The present study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the Italian version of the Autism Spectrum Disorder in Adults Screening Questionnaire (ASDASQ), a screening tool for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among psychiatric outpatients. Methods: We recruited 340 subjects via an outpatient psychiatric service in Italy. Forty-eight had a diagnosis of ASD, confirmed after a comprehensive clinical assessment and the administration of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 (ADOS-2). The remaining 292 participants had other diagnoses, confirmed after a careful psychiatric evaluation and the administration of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5). The ASDASQ was administered to contact clinicians of each subject. Results: The ASDASQ showed outstanding accuracy (AUC = 0.96) in discriminating between ASD and non-ASD patients, with good sensitivity (0.85) and specificity (0.92). Agreement with clinical diagnosis was substantial (k = 0.68). Internal consistency of the tool was good (Cronbach's alpha = 0.82), while intra- (ICC = 0.97) and inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.92) were excellent. We found also a moderate correlation between ASDASQ and ADOS-2 scores in the ASD sample (r = 0.56). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the ASDASQ, in the Italian adaptation, may be considered a quick, simple, and effective tool to screen for ASD among psychiatric outpatients. Further studies are needed to evaluate its utility in other clinical settings.
KW - Adult
KW - Autism spectrum disorder
KW - Clinician-rated tool
KW - Differential diagnosis
KW - Misdiagnosis
KW - Psychiatry
KW - Screening
U2 - 10.1016/j.rasd.2020.101668
DO - 10.1016/j.rasd.2020.101668
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85090908376
SN - 1750-9467
VL - 78
JO - Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders
JF - Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders
M1 - 101668
ER -