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The autism diagnostic observation schedule: Patterns in individuals with anorexia nervosa
Author(s) -
Bentz Mette,
Westwood Heather,
Jepsen Jens Richardt Møllegaard,
Plessen Kerstin Jessica,
Tchanturia Kate
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
european eating disorders review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.511
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1099-0968
pISSN - 1072-4133
DOI - 10.1002/erv.2757
Subject(s) - autism diagnostic observation schedule , anorexia nervosa , psychology , autism , cluster analysis , anorexia , clinical psychology , eating disorders , psychiatry , medicine , autism spectrum disorder , artificial intelligence , computer science
Objective Studies have used the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (the ADOS‐2) in individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN), but the patterns of scores have not been assessed. We examined which subset of the ADOS‐2 items best discriminate individuals with AN from healthy controls (HC), and assessed the potential clustering of AN participants based on different profiles of the ADOS‐2 item scores. Method We combined datasets from two previous studies, and (a) compared mean ranks between young AN participants ( N = 118) and HC ( N = 42), (ii) replicated the item selection procedure of the existing ADOS‐2 algorithm to assess sensitivity of items in the AN group, and (c) applied a two‐step clustering analysis in the AN group ( N = 149). Results AN participants displayed significantly higher mean ranks than HC participants in five of 32 items. All five items are part of the existing ADOS‐2 algorithm. We found two clusters of AN participants; one representing normal social behaviour, comprising 68% of the individuals with AN, and one representing less efficient social behaviour, comprising 32% of individuals with AN. Conclusions The items comprising the social affective cluster of the existing ADOS‐2 algorithm are well suited to assess difficulties with social functioning in individuals with AN.