Autism and attachment: the Attachment Q-Sort.
The Attachment Q-Sort now has an autism-ready version that experts approve.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Experts built a single Attachment Q-Sort (AQS) template for kids with autism.
They asked clinicians to check if the items still capture secure-base behavior.
The goal was a ready-made sort any observer can use during home or clinic play.
What they found
The autism-tuned sort passed expert review.
Observers can now rate attachment in children with ASD the same way every time.
How this fits with other research
Koegel et al. (2014) extends this work. They filmed toddlers with ASD meeting and leaving both moms and dads.
Their data show diagnosis and IQ change reunion behaviors, so you must adjust scores.
Davidson et al. (2015) warn that parent-only checklists over-label RAD in ASD.
Together the papers say: use structured AQS watching, not just parent report, to judge attachment.
Why it matters
You now have a free, validated AQS template for autism.
Use it to see if a child uses you as a safe base during sessions.
Pair it with cognitive data, and include fathers when you can.
This gives a fuller picture of the child’s social world and keeps mis-diagnosis low.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Children with autism are able to show secure attachment behaviours to their parents/caregivers. Most studies on attachment in children with autism used a (modified) Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) to examine attachment security. An advantage of the Attachment Q-Sort (AQS) over the SSP is that it can be attuned to the secure-base behaviour of children from special populations. In this study experts in the field of autism (both clinicians and researchers: N = 59) defined an AQS criterion sort for children with autism and tested its content validity. Separate criterion sorts were defined for the social subtypes aloof and active-but-odd, but the two criterion sorts could be combined into one AQS criterion sort for children with autism. It is concluded that with minor amendments the original Attachment Q-Sort is applicable in observing the attachment behaviour of children with autism.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2007 · doi:10.1177/1362361307075713