Open AccessDefining the Optimal Threshold Scores for Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum (AdAS Spectrum) in Clinical and General Population
Author(s) -
Liliana Dell’Osso,
Claudia Carmassi,
Ivan Mirko Cremone,
Dario Muti,
Antonio Salerni,
Filippo Maria Barberi,
Enrico Massimetti,
Camilla Gesi,
Pierluigi Politi,
Eugenio Aguglia,
Mario Maj,
Barbara Carpita
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
clinical practice and epidemiology in mental health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.692
H-Index - 48
ISSN - 1745-0179
DOI - 10.2174/1745017902016010204
Subject(s) - autism , autism spectrum disorder , subthreshold conduction , audiology , population , psychology , clinical psychology , medicine , psychiatry , physics , environmental health , transistor , quantum mechanics , voltage
Background: The Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum (AdAS Spectrum) is a recently developed instrument tailored to assess the broad range of full-threshold as well as sub-threshold manifestations related to the autism spectrum. Although it has proved to be a valuable instrument for quantitative assessment of autistic symptoms, the AdAS Spectrum still lacks validated diagnostic thresholds. Objective: The aim of this study was to define the best cut-off scores of the AdAS Spectrum for determining the presence of subthreshold autistic traits as well as a clinically significant autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods: Our sample was composed of 39 patients with full-blown ASD, 73 subjects with autistic traits, and 150 healthy controls. Subjects were evaluated by trained psychiatrists, who performed a clinical diagnosis according to DSM-5 and then assessed with the AdAS Spectrum and the Autism Spectrum Quotient. Results: Our results showed that the most discriminant cut-off scores were 70 for identifying subjects with full-blown ASD, and 43 for determining the presence of significant autistic traits. Conclusion: The threshold values proposed here showed satisfying levels of specificity and sensibility, as well as a good agreement with the diagnosis according to DSM-5 criteria, confirming the validity of the AdAS Spectrum as a psychometric tool for measuring ASD-related conditions in the clinical and general population.