Psychometric properties of the Autism Spectrum Disorder in Adults Screening Questionnaire (ASDASQ) in a sample of Italian psychiatric outpatients

Laura Fusar-Poli, Emanuele Bisso, Ilaria Concas, Teresa Surace, Silvia Tinacci, Antonio Vanella, Rosaria Furnari, Maria Salvina Signorelli, Lena Nylander, Eugenio Aguglia

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

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.

Original languageEnglish
Article number101668
JournalResearch in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Volume78
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2020 Oct 1

Subject classification (UKÄ)

  • Psychiatry

Free keywords

  • Adult
  • Autism spectrum disorder
  • Clinician-rated tool
  • Differential diagnosis
  • Misdiagnosis
  • Psychiatry
  • Screening

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