A comparison of three self-report measures of the broader autism phenotype in a non-clinical sample.
Use SRS-A or BAPQ—not AQ—for quick self-report of autism traits in neurotypical adults.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Ingersoll et al. (2011) asked adults with no diagnosis to fill out three online checklists.
The checklists were the SRS-A, BAPQ, and AQ.
The team wanted to know which one best measures the broader autism phenotype in everyday people.
What they found
SRS-A and BAPQ came out on top.
Both had stronger psychometric scores than the AQ.
The authors say pick SRS-A or BAPQ when you need a self-report tool for the broader autism phenotype.
How this fits with other research
Rojahn et al. (2012) seems to disagree. In a real ASD clinic the SRS had very low specificity.
The difference is the sample. Brooke used neurotypical adults online. J used kids already sent to a hospital clinic.
Godoy-Giménez et al. (2018) extends the story. They tested the Spanish BAPQ and found only two sub-scales worked well.
Godoy-Giménez et al. (2024) now offers a shorter 20-item tool called BAP-IT. It keeps the two-domain style and adds bilingual support.
Why it matters
If you screen adults for autism traits, use SRS-A or BAPQ and skip the AQ. Remember the SRS can over-flag people in clinical settings, so always pair it with other data. Watch for language too—Spanish speakers need the trimmed BAPQ or the new BAP-IT.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Three self-report measures of the broader autism phenotype (BAP) were evaluated in terms of their internal consistency, distribution of scores, factor structure, and criterion-related validity in a non-clinical sample. All measures showed a continuous distribution. The SRS-A and BAPQ showed expected sex differences and were superior to the AQ in terms of internal consistency. The proposed factor structure of the BAPQ replicated better than the proposed structures of the other measures. All measures showed evidence of criterion validity via correlations with related constructs and each measure incremented the others in predicting related constructs. However, the SRS-A and BAPQ were generally stronger in this domain. Recommendations for the use of these instruments for measuring the BAP in non-clinical populations are discussed.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2011 · doi:10.1007/s10803-011-1192-2