The goal of this paper is to examine the psychometric properties of a live-coded behavioral measure of joint attention, the "Attention-Following and Initiating Joint Attention Protocol" (JA Protocol), in order to assist researchers and clinicians in identifying when this measure may meet their joint attention assessment needs. Data from…

The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, a standardized protocol for observation of social and communicative behavior associated with autism, is described. Data on interrater reliability as well as test-retest reliability and discriminant validity are provided. (Author/DB)

This paper reviewed the psychometric properties of the DSM-III-R (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual III, Revised) criteria for autism. Results indicated that the criteria had, on average, very good sensitivity but much lower specificity. It is concluded that the DSM-III-R criteria act more like screening criteria than diagnostic criteria.…

Analyses of the internal consistency of three autism scales--the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC), the Real Life Rating Scale (RLRS), and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS)--were conducted with 34 children with pervasive developmental disabilities. Good internal consistency was found for the CARS. Adequate full-scale consistency was found for…

A study of 83 people working in the field of autism evaluated the psychometric properties of the Autism Survey, an instrument to assess respondents' knowledge about autism. The survey was found to measure one factor, to be stable across time, and to have an internally consistent total score. (Author/CR)

This study compared DSM-III-R (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual III, Revised), Childhood Autism Rating Scale, and clinical diagnoses of 138 admissions to a program for diagnosis and treatment of autistic and related communication-handicapped individuals. Results indicated generally high agreement on the diagnosis of autism, with DSM-III-R…

This paper assesses to what extent the ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases) criteria differ from other diagnostic systems for Asperger syndrome. The paper concludes that the variety of criteria in use makes interpretation of research findings difficult and that the ICD-10 criteria are the most stringent and closest to Hans Asperger's…

Two studies evaluated the 10-question Nylander questionnaire as a screening test for autism among adults in British psychiatric hospitals. Both studies found high inter-rater reliability and no false negatives, but the studies resulted in an unacceptably high rate of false positives. (Contains 3 references.) (DB)

This study assessed the criterion-related validity of the PDD Behavior Inventory, a rating scale to evaluate the adaptive and maladaptive behaviors of children with pervasive developmental disorders. Good correlations with five other scales confirmed the scale's validity and suggest its value in assessing treatment-related changes in maladaptive…

This paper compared clinicians' diagnosis and DSM-III (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual), DSM-III-R (Revised), and ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases) diagnoses of 52 individuals with autism and 62 nonautistic, developmentally disordered individuals. The DSM-III-R system overdiagnosed the presence of autism, and ICD-10 closely…

Data on 52 individuals with and 62 individuals without autism were analyzed to assess developmental aspects of the DSM-III-R (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual III, Revised) diagnostic system. Findings indicate that DSM-III-R criteria are more developmentally oriented and more behaviorally specific than previous criteria, but the diagnostic…

The Psychoeducational Profile was translated into Chinese, adapted, and administered to 23 autistic children and 40 children with normal development, ages 3-7, in Hong Kong. The scale was found to have criterion-related validity, discriminant validity, and properties of a developmental scale. (Author/JDD)

A Japanese translation of the Childhood Autism Rating Scale was used with 167 developmentally disabled children under age 16. Total score demonstrated a satisfactory level of taxonomic validity and discriminated infantile autism and other pervasive developmental disorders from mental retardation alone. A satisfactory concurrent validity on the…

The concurrent validity of the original and revised versions of the Leiter International Performance Scale was examined with 26 children (ages 4-16) with autism. Although the correlation between the two tests was high (.87), there were significant intra-individual discrepancies present in 10 cases, two of which were both large and clinically…

This essay notes the complexities inherent in classifying pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), especially when a single classification scheme is to be used for clinical, research, and administrative purposes. The paper considers principles of classification, symptomatology, the neuropsychiatric interface, the value of a multiaxial approach,…