Screening for co-occurring conditions in adults with autism spectrum disorder using the strengths and difficulties questionnaire: A pilot study

Journal article

Findon, J, Cadman, T, Stewart, CS, Woodhouse, E, Eklund, H, Hayward, H, De Le Harpe Golden, D, Chaplin, E, Glaser, K, Simonoff, E, Murphy, D, Bolton, PF and McEwen, F (2016). Screening for co-occurring conditions in adults with autism spectrum disorder using the strengths and difficulties questionnaire: A pilot study. Autism Research. 9 (12), pp. 1353-1363. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.1625
AuthorsFindon, J, Cadman, T, Stewart, CS, Woodhouse, E, Eklund, H, Hayward, H, De Le Harpe Golden, D, Chaplin, E, Glaser, K, Simonoff, E, Murphy, D, Bolton, PF and McEwen, F
Abstract

Adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at elevated risk of co-occurring mental health problems. These are often undiagnosed, can cause significant impairment, and place a very high burden on family and carers. Detecting co-occurring disorders is extremely important. However, there is no validated screening tool for this purpose. The aim of this pilot study is to test the utility of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) to screen for co-occurring emotional disorders and hyperactivity in adolescents and adults with ASD. The SDQ was completed by 126 parents and 98 individuals with ASD (in 79 cases both parent and self-report were available from the same families). Inter-rater reliability, test-retest stability, internal consistency, and construct validity were examined. SDQ subscales were also compared to clinically utilized measures of emotional disorders and hyperactivity to establish the ability to predict risk of disorder. Inter-rater reliability (r = 0.42), test-retest stability (r = 0.64), internal consistency (α = 0.52–0.81) and construct validity (r = 0.42–0.57) for the SDQ subscales were comparable to general population samples. Parent- and self-report SDQ subscales were significantly associated with measures of anxiety, depression and hyperactivity (62–74% correctly classified). Parent-report performed significantly better than self-report; adults with ASD under-reported difficulties. The SDQ shows promise as a simple and efficient way to screen for emotional disorders and hyperactivity in adolescents and adults with ASD that could help reduce the impact of these disorders on individuals and their families. However, further more systematic attempts at validation are warranted. Autism Res 2016. & 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

This is the Version of Record

KeywordsHumans; Pilot Projects; Reproducibility of Results; Parents; Anxiety Disorders; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Depressive Disorder; Adolescent; Adult; Middle Aged; Female; Male; Young Adult; Self Report; Surveys and Questionnaires; Autism Spectrum Disorder; anxiety; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; autism spectrum disorder; co-morbid disorder; co-occurring disorder; depression; hyperactivity; obsessive-compulsive disorder; Adolescent; Adult; Anxiety Disorders; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Depressive Disorder; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Parents; Pilot Projects; Reproducibility of Results; Self Report; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult; 1103 Clinical Sciences; 1109 Neurosciences; 1701 Psychology; Developmental & Child Psychology
Year2016
JournalAutism Research
Journal citation9 (12), pp. 1353-1363
PublisherWiley
ISSN1939-3806
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.1625
Web address (URL)https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/aur.1625
Publication dates
Print28 Mar 2016
Publication process dates
Deposited12 Dec 2017
Accepted24 Feb 2016
Accepted author manuscript
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Open
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