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Validity of Diagnostic Measures for Autistic Spectrum Disorders
The Validity of Diagnostic Measures for Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) funded project to improve the existing instruments used in the diagnosis of autism by making them more efficient, accurate and user-friendly. Our goals include developing strategies to compare scores across the diagnostic instruments and calibrate these scores so that progress can be measured over time. In this way, we intend to provide a more accurate indication of the range and severity of different behavioral aspects of Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in an individual. Improved strategies for utilizing the diagnostic instruments may be particularly useful for researchers studying the genetics, using neuroimaging techniques, and applying other biological measures.
The focus of this work is on three diagnostic instruments: the Autism Diagnostic Interview - Revised (ADI-R), a standardized caregiver interview, the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), a standardized, semi-structured direct observational schedule for children and adults suspected of having an ASD, and the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), a brief checklist completed by parents, used for screening of possible ASD. This research will be accomplished using data collected from our various research projects completed in Chicago and North Carolina, as well as data collected at UMACC.
We are currently analyzing results from our recruitment of particular target populations. For example, we are very interested in analyzing how the diagnostic instruments work with children with disorders other than an autistic spectrum disorder including Down's syndrome, genetic disorders (including Fragile X, tuberous sclerosis, William syndrome, Turner syndrome), fetal alcohol syndrome, learning disabilities (including ADHD), and anxiety and mood disorders (including obsessive compulsive disorder, social phobia).
This study is no longer recruiting.
Contact:
Susan Risi, Ph.D.
srisi@umich.edu
734.936.8600
This study has approval from the University of Michigan Institutional Review Board (IRBMED 2002-0372)
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