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Self-Reported Autism Symptoms in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders

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Abstract

Scores on the autism spectrum quotient (AQ) were examined in 65 adults with ASD. Maternal reports of symptoms were collected simultaneously using the autism diagnostic interview-revised (ADI-R) and the Vineland Screener. A slightly revised AQ administration procedure was used to accommodate adults with below average IQ. AQ scores were lower than in the original validation study, with only 11 adults (17%) scoring above the proposed diagnostic cut-off and 24 (27%) exceeding the screening cut-off. Adults with higher IQs endorsed more symptoms than those with below average intelligence, but even when analyses were restricted to the 39 adults with at least average IQ, only 44% met the screening cut-off. AQ scores were not significantly correlated with ADI-R or Vineland scores.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the National Institute of Health, R01AG08768 and P30HD03352 to Marsha Mailick Seltzer, T32HD07489 to Len Abbeduto, and R01HD065277 to Somer L. Bishop. The authors would like to thank the families who participated in this research. We are grateful to the members of the Seltzer and Greenberg lab at the Waisman Center, particularly Jan Greenberg, as well as Amie Duncan at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, who provided input and support for this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, MLC 4002, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA

    Somer L. Bishop

  2. Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA

    Marsha Mailick Seltzer

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  1. Somer L. Bishop
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  2. Marsha Mailick Seltzer
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Correspondence to Somer L. Bishop.

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Bishop, S.L., Seltzer, M.M. Self-Reported Autism Symptoms in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 42, 2354–2363 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1483-2

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