Criterion Validity of the Autism Spectrum Rating Scales Teacher Report

Abstract

There is a need to investigate the diagnostic utility of autism diagnostic questionnaires in school-age children, who are increasingly being referred for autism assessment. Aside from the standardization sample, little research has been conducted on the Autism Spectrum Rating Scales, particularly regarding teacher reports. This study investigated the criterion validity of the Autism Spectrum Rating Scales-Teacher report for ages 6–18 (ASRS-T_6-18) in a well-characterized community sample of 409 children (autism [AUT] n = 122; non-autism [NOT] n = 287; $\bar{X}$ age = 9.91) evaluated with the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2, a well-validated autism diagnostic measure. Significant mean differences with small to moderate effect sizes (d = 0.28–0.56) were observed for all scores except Self-Regulation, Adult interaction, and Attention. Logistic Regression and Receiver Operating Characteristic analyses conducted for the Summary, ASRS, and two Treatment scales (Peer and Social-Emotional Reciprocity) indicated low ORs (<|1.08|) and AUCs in the poor range (<.67). Total and Unusual Behavior emerged as comparatively stronger scales with covariates (age and IQ); other scales were generally similar with/without control variables. Sensitivity and specificity could not be optimized. The suggested 60t-cutpoint had fair or good sensitivity (76.23–83.61) for all examined scales except Unusual Behavior (68.03). However, specificity was poor (46.93–54.36), with high false positive rates (45.64%–63.07%). In complex community samples, the ASRS-T_6-18 behaves more like a screener as opposed to a diagnostic measure.

Keywords

autism spectrum rating scales autism spectrum disorder criterion validity assessment diagnosis

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Aiello

Ruble

Esler

(2017). National study of school psychologists’ use of evidence-based assessment in autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 33(1), 67–88. https://doi.org/10.1080/15377903.2016.1236307

American Psychiatric Association . (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5-TR (5th ed.). American Psychiatric Association.

Benson

N. F.

Floyd

R. G.

Kranzler

J. H.

Eckert

T. L.

Fefer

S. A.

Morgan

G. B.

(2019). Test use and assessment practices of school psychologists in the United States: Findings from the 2017 national survey. Journal of School Psychology, 72, 29–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2018.12.004.

Camodeca

(2019). Description of criterion validity of the autism spectrum rating scales 6–18 parent report: Initial exploration in a large community sample. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 50(6), 987–1001. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-019-00899-0

Camodeca

Hosack

Todd

K. Q.

(2019). Investigation of broad autism phenotype traits as measured by the 26-item autism quotient. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 37(3), 338–357. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734282918768706

Camodeca

Walcott

(2021). Criterion validity of the autism spectrum rating scales 2-5 parent report. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 86(1), 101820. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2021.101820

Charman

Gotham

(2013). Measurement issues: Screening and diagnostic instruments for autism spectrum disorders - lessons from research and practise. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 18(1), 52–63. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-3588.2012.00664.x

Christopher

Lord

(2022). Best practice assessments for autism spectrum disorders in schools. Psychology in the Schools, 59(7), 1454–1468. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22680

Cook

J. R.

Hausman

E. M.

Jensen-Doss

Hawley

K. M.

(2017). Assessment practices of child clinicians: Results from a national survey. Assessment, 24(2), 210–221. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191115604353

10.

Cuffe

S. P.

Visser

S. N.

Holbrook

J. R.

Danielson

M. L.

Geryk

L. L.

Wolraich

M. L.

McKeown

R. E.

(2020). ADHD and psychiatric comorbidity: Functional outcomes in a school-based sample of children. Journal of Attention Disorders, 24(9), 1345–1354. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054715613437

11.

Dallos

Keresztény

Á.

Miklósi

Gádoros

Balázs

(2014). Why are children and adolescents referred for psychiatric assessment without fulfilling diagnostic criteria for any psychiatric disorder? Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 19(3), 199–207. https://doi.org/10.1111/camh.12046

12.

Dennis

Francis

D. J.

Cirino

P. T.

Schachar

Barnes

M. A.

Fletcher

J. M.

(2009). Why IQ is not a covariate in cognitive studies of neurodevelopmental disorders. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society: JINS, 15(3), 331–343. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1355617709090481

13.

Falkmer

Anderson

Falkmer

Horlin

(2013). Diagnostic procedures in autism spectrum disorders: A systematic literature review. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 22(6), 329–340. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-013-0375-0

14.

Fusar-Poli

Brondino

Rocchetti

Panisi

Provenzani

Damiani

Politi

(2017). Diagnosing ASD in adults without ID: Accuracy of the ADOS-2 and the ADI-R. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47(11), 3370–3379. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3258-2

15.

Goldstein

Naglieri

J. A.

(2013). Autism spectrum rating scales (ASRS) technical manual. Multi-Health Systems.

16.

Goldstein

Naglieri

J. A.

(2014). Autism spectrum rating scales. Multi-Health Systems. (ASRS) technical report #2.

17.

Hampton

Strand

P. S.

(2015). A review of level 2 parent-report instruments used to screen children aged 1.5–5 for autism: A meta-analytic update. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(8), 2519–2530. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2419-4

18.

Hus

Lord

(2014). The autism diagnostic observation schedule, module 4: Revised algorithm and standardized severity scores. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44(8), 1996–2012. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2080-3

19.

Joseph

Kearney

K. B.

Brady

M. P.

Downey

Torres

(2021). Teaching small talk: Increasing on-topic conversational exchanges in college students with intellectual and developmental disabilities using remote audio coaching. Behavior Modification, 45(2), 251–271. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145445520975174

20.

Lord

Rutter

DiLavore

P. C.

Risi

Gotham

Bishop

S. L.

(2012). ADOS-2: Autism diagnostic observation schedule (2nd ed.). WPS. (part I): modules 1-4.

21.

Margiano

S. G.

Sassu

K. A.

Dale

B. A.

Caemmerer

J. M.

Bray

M. A.

Peters

(2023). School psychologists and autism identification: Present challenges and potential solutions. Psychology in the Schools, 60(2), 441–451. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22799

22.

Norris

Lecavalier

(2010). Screening accuracy of level 2 autism spectrum disorder rating scales: A review of selected instruments. Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, 14(4), 263–284. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361309348071

23.

Piltz

V. J.

Halldner

Markus

Fridell

Bölte

Choque Olsson

(2023). Symptom similarities and differences in social interaction between autistic children and adolescents with and without ADHD. Current Psychology. 43(4), 3503, 3513, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04499-z

24.

Rutter

Le Couteur

Lord

(2003). Autism diagnostic interview–revised. WPS.

25.

Schiltz

H. K.

Magnus

B. E.

(2021). Differential item functioning based on autism features, IQ, and age on the screen for child anxiety related disorders (SCARED) among youth on the autism spectrum. Autism Research: Official Journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 14(6), 1220–1236. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2481

26.

Shoaib

Cepeda

M. S.

Murray

Ochs-Ross

(2022). Autism: Comorbidities and treatment patterns in the real world, a retrospective cohort study among children, adolescents and adults newly diagnosed with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 52(10), 4311–4320. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05289-x

27.

Simpson

Bundy

M. B.

Wygant

D. B.

(2022). Classification comparison: Autism spectrum rating scale and the ADOS-2 in an underserved rural appalachian setting. Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 15(3), 253–262. https://doi.org/10.1080/19315864.2022.2070808

28.

Tabachnick

B. G.

Fidell

L. S.

(2012). Using multivariate statistics (6th ed.). Pearson.

29.

Youngstrom

E. A.

(2014). A primer on receiver operating characteristic analysis and diagnostic efficiency statistics for pediatric psychology: We are ready to ROC. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 39(2), 204–221. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jst062

30.

Zander

Sturm

Bölte

(2015). The added value of the combined use of the autism diagnostic Interview–Revised and the autism diagnostic observation schedule: Diagnostic validity in a clinical Swedish sample of toddlers and young preschoolers. Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, 19(2), 187–199. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361313516199

31.

Zorn

Puustinen

(2022). Seeking academic help: The case of lower secondary students with autism spectrum disorder and their teachers. Learning and Instruction, 80(12), 101624. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2022.101624

Supplementary Material

Please find the following supplemental material available below.

For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.

For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.

0.00 MB

0.30 MB