There is a growing recognition of the need for interventions to improve the healthcare of autistic adults. However, there is a dearth of validated measures to evaluate such interventions. Our objectives were to use a community-based participatory research approach to create an accessible set of patient- and proxy-reported instruments to measure…

The Autism Impact Measure (AIM) was designed to track incremental change in frequency and impact of core ASD symptoms. The current study examined the structural and convergent validity of the AIM in a large sample of children with ASD. The results of a series of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses yielded a final model with five…

For autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in adults there are several diagnostic instruments available with a need for consideration of the psychometric properties. This study aimed to conduct a first psychometric evaluation of a new diagnostic ASD instrument, the NIDA (Dutch Interview for Diagnostic assessment of ASD in adults) in 90 adult males without…

Emotion dysregulation is common among autistic people, yet few measures have received psychometric evaluation in this population. We examined the factor structure, reliability, and validity of a commonly-used measure of emotion dysregulation, the "Difficulties with Emotion Regulation Scale" ("DERS"), in a sample of 156 autistic…

The Psychoeducational Profile 3rd Edition (PEP-3) is a comprehensive assessment tool designed for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although its original English version has been validated, few validation studies have been conducted on translated versions including Chinese ones. Based on 554 Chinese children with ASD and 311 typically…

Our purpose in this study was to validate the Quality of Life for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder scale. We first conducted an exploratory factor analysis to examine the factor structure. Results suggested that a three-factor model (Interpersonal Relationships, Self-Determination, and Emotional Well-Being) should be retained. Next, we…

Our objective was to develop a measure of healthcare providers' self-efficacy in providing healthcare to autistic adults and to better understand their training needs. We used a community-based participatory research approach with academic researchers, autistic adults, supporters, and healthcare providers. We developed a one-page questionnaire…

Anxiety is a prevalent and impairing co-morbidity among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), yet assessment measures, including screening tools, are seldom validated with autism samples. We explored the psychometric properties of the child and parent reports of the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS) and the Screen for Anxiety…

We carried out a psychometric assessment of the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2) in fragile X syndrome (FXS), relative to clinician DSM5-based diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in FXS. This was followed by instrument revisions that included: removal of non-discriminating and/or low face…

This study describes the development and psychometric evaluation of a new self-report measure of social cognition: the Theory of Mind Inventory:Self-Report--Adult (ToMI:SR-Adult). Adults with autism (or a suspicion of autism; n = 111) and typically developing adults (n = 109) completed a demographic questionnaire and the ToMI:SR-Adult online. Both…

Although 70% of autistic children and young people meet criteria for co-occurring psychiatric conditions, there are few screening measures specifically for autistic individuals. We describe the development and validation of the Assessment of Concerning Behavior (ACB), an instrument co-developed with the autistic community to assess mental health…

While autism spectrum disorder screening tools provide a useful resource for practitioners, the reality is they are underused. The justifications often provided include the time required for administration and the training involved. A brief tool with good psychometric properties that require minimal training is required. This study examined the…

Despite the high prevalence of depression and other mental illnesses in autistic adults, screening instruments such as the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) have not been specifically validated in an autistic sample. Using data from two Autism CRC longitudinal studies (n = 581), confirmatory factor analysis supported the two-factor model…

Although symptoms of autism are present early in life and early diagnosis can lead to better outcomes, there is a dearth of validated caregiver-report interviews designed for children under the age of 3 years. We developed the Toddler Autism Symptom Inventory, a semi-structured interview designed to assess the presence and absence of skills and…

Accurate measurement of quality of life (QoL) is important for evaluation of autism services and trials of interventions. We undertook psychometric validation of the World Health Organisation measure--WHOQoL-BREF, examined construct validity of the WHO Disabilities module and developed nine additional autism-specific items (ASQoL) from extensive…