Early detection and intervention is essential for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Therefore, we examined the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Modified Checklist for autism in toddlers (M-CHAT), a 23-item, yes-no questionnaire regarding early autistic symptoms completed by parents of children at 18-24 months of…

The Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) category is a psychopathological entity few have described and is poorly, and mainly negatively, defined by autism exclusion. In order to limit PDD-NOS heterogeneity, alternative clinical constructs have been developed. This study explored the reliability and the diagnostic…

Many children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) demonstrate challenging behaviors. Since challenging behaviors are obstacles for social development and learning, it is important to determine if and what challenging behaviors are exhibited. Although there are some measures that asses for challenging behaviors, the majority were not specifically…

This study assessed the diagnostic utility of the Pervasive Developmental Disorder Behavior Inventory (PDDBI) in a sample of 84 children aged 3-12 years of age. Forty-two children with ASD were individually matched on age and non-verbal IQ to 42 children with other disabilities and groups were compared on PDDBI subscales and total score. Results…

Treatment implementation is an under-studied and under-reported aspect of intervention studies involving individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). One primary area of concern is the lack of reliable and valid implementation measures, which allows a conclusive association to be drawn between the intervention and participant outcomes. This…

A limited number of studies currently exist focusing on comorbid psychopathology of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Due to the heterogeneity of ASD symptoms, communication deficits, and impairments in intellectual functioning, assessing symptoms of psychopathology is complicated. The "Autism Spectrum Disorders-Comorbidity for…

We assessed the reliability and validity of the discrete-trials teaching evaluation form (DTTEF), a 21-item checklist for assessing instructors conducting discrete-trials teaching (DTT). In Phase 1, six consultants in an applied behavior analysis program for children with autism rated the 21 components of the DTTEF with a mean of 6.2 on a 7-point…

The Autism Spectrum Disorders-Diagnostic for Children (ASD-DC) is a 40-item Likert format scale designed to serve in the diagnosis of children and adolescents from 2 to 16 years of age. The reliability and factor structure of the scale have been established in previous research. Studies 1 and 2 were designed to evaluate the validity of the measure…

We evaluated the effects of a self-management treatment package (SMTP) on the stereotypic behavior of an adolescent with Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). Latency to stereotypy was systematically increased in the training setting (academic) and the effectiveness of the SMTP was evaluated within a multiple-probe…

The purpose of this paper was to further establish the validity of the Autism Spectrum Disorder-Diagnostic for Children (ASD-DC). The methodology consisted of testing the similarity of findings between the ASD-DC and the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R), which proved to be statistically significant for subscale content scores on social,…

This study assessed the social validity of behavioral techniques (i.e., pivotal response treatment) used with a child diagnosed with autism as viewed on an episode of the "Super Nanny" [Frost, J. (Host). (2005). Facente family [television series episode]. In N. Powell (Producer), "Super Nanny". New York: American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.].…

Over the past few decades, the reported number of children identified as having one of the Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) has increased exponentially. One proposed reason for the dramatic increase in the prevalence of ASD is diagnostic substitution, whereby children with other disorders incorrectly receive a diagnosis of ASD. Little research has…

Early identification of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is now considered best practice in the field of developmental disabilities. Despite calls by national pediatric organizations and others for routine screening in young children, such recommendations have been hard to implement in practice. One of the major unresolved problems is the need for…

Asperger's syndrome (AS), first diagnosed in 1944, and has only recently begun to receive a great deal of research attention. An emerging controversy has been whether AS is a distinct condition from high functioning autism (HFA), and if so, can it be reliably and validly diagnosed. While measures designed specifically to aid in the screening and…

The reliability of a new scale to assess Autistic Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), and Asperger's Disorder in children was examined. Parents or other caregivers rated symptoms of 207 children between 2 and 16 years of age. The scale, which had 40 items in the final version, correlated highly with…