ERIC Number: EJ1468811
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-May
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0162-3257
EISSN: EISSN-1573-3432
Available Date: 2024-04-07
Autism Knowledge Assessments: A Closer Examination of Validity by Autism Experts
Camilla M. McMahon1,2; Maryellen Brunson McClain3; Savannah Wells1; Sophia Thompson1,2; Jeffrey D. Shahidullah4
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, v55 n5 p1629-1647 2025
Purpose: The goal of the current study was to conduct a substantive validity review of four autism knowledge assessments with prior psychometric support (Gillespie-Lynch in J Autism and Dev Disord 45(8):2553-2566, 2015; Harrison in J Autism and Dev Disord 47(10):3281-3295, 2017; McClain in J Autism and Dev Disord 50(3):998-1006, 2020; McMahon in Res Autism Spectr Disord 71:101499, 2020). 69 autism experts who served on the editorial board of one or more peer-reviewed autism journals evaluated the accuracy and ambiguity of autism knowledge questions. 34% of the questions were flagged as "potentially problematic" for accuracy, and 17% of the questions were flagged as "potentially problematic" for ambiguity. Autism expert feedback revealed three themes across ambiguous questions: (1) an oversimplification of mixed or still-evolving research literature, (2) an insufficient recognition of the heterogeneity of the autism spectrum, and (3) a lack of clarity in the question/answer prompt. Substantive validity of future autism knowledge assessments should be carefully evaluated via feedback from a diverse group of autism experts and/or potential respondents. Potentially problematic questions can be removed or modified to improve the validity of autism knowledge assessments.
Descriptors: Measures (Individuals), Psychometrics, Test Items, Accuracy, Ambiguity (Context), Autism Spectrum Disorders, Knowledge Level, Test Validity
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Miami University, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Hamilton, USA; 2Miami University, Department of Psychology, Oxford, USA; 3Indiana University Bloomington, Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology, Bloomington, USA; 4University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Dell Medical School, Austin, USA