Brief Report: The Assessment of Anxiety in High-Functioning Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Anxiety may exacerbate interpersonal difficulties and contribute to secondary behavioral problems in adolescents with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (HFASD). This study was conducted to assess the psychometric properties and construct validity of measures of anxiety with a sample (n = 30) of adolescents with HFASD and comorbid anxiety disorders. Results indicate that the measures (CASI-Anxiety Scale; Sukhodolsky et al. 2008; MASC; March 1998) possess acceptable internal consistency, and there is evidence of discriminant validity. Most of the adolescents, however, under-reported problems with anxiety, compared to parent-reported and clinician-derived reports and given they were seeking treatment for anxiety problems. Findings highlight the importance of using multiple raters in clinical practice and consideration of rater discrepancies in clinical research.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Comorbid Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Nonetheless, it is of benefit to know that self-report measures can be used as an assessment tool to accurately assess the content of anxiety related problems in young people and adults with ASD and this is consistent with findings from other studies 47 .…”

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety in Children With High-Functioning Autism: A Meta-analysis

“…Furthermore, internal consistency coefficients of self-report of anxiety in children with high-functioning autism are commonly adequate. 65 Although studies included in this meta-analysis did not estimate reliability of child self-reports in their samples, high levels of internal consistency were reported for these measures in other studies. Specifically, in children with highfunctioning ASD the Cronbach a coefficients were 0.91 for the SCAS, 66 0.92 for the MASC, 65 and 0.88 for the RCMAS.…”

“…65 Although studies included in this meta-analysis did not estimate reliability of child self-reports in their samples, high levels of internal consistency were reported for these measures in other studies. Specifically, in children with highfunctioning ASD the Cronbach a coefficients were 0.91 for the SCAS, 66 0.92 for the MASC, 65 and 0.88 for the RCMAS. 67 Thus, it is unlikely that lack of change in child self-report of anxiety is caused by unreliability of child self-reports in ASD.…”

A Systematic Literature Review of Emotion Regulation Measurement in Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…Selfreport and informant report were also frequently used, and contrary to the behavioral observation method, often touch on at least three out of five ER domains. Although self and informant report measures are advantageous because they are easy to administer, and can be completed by respondents with minimal assistance from research staff, the results of these types of measures should be interpreted with caution in this population, given that children with ASD typically have impairments in communication skills [Mazefsky et al, 2011], and may have the tendency to inaccurately report about their inner experience [White, Schry, & Maddox, 2012]. There was also variability in the choice of questionnaires used for self and informant report, and greater consensus on the measures that best capture ER domains would facilitate more accurate comparisons across studies.…”