Brief Report: Factor Analysis of the Brazilian Version of the Adult Autism Spectrum Quotient.
Use the 3-factor scoring key when interpreting the Brazilian Portuguese AQ.
01Research in Context
What this study did
do Egito et al. (2018) ran a factor analysis on the Brazilian Portuguese Adult Autism Spectrum Quotient.
They wanted to see which items cluster together for Brazilian adults.
The team used the same 50-item self-report that Baron-Cohen created in 2001.
What they found
Three clear factors came out, not the original five.
The short 3-factor key fit the data well.
Clinicians can now score Sociability, Mind-reading, and Patterns/Details in Portuguese.
How this fits with other research
Lau et al. (2013) found five factors in an English-speaking group.
Tabosa kept only three of those factors; two smaller ones blended in.
This is not a clash—different cultures answer questions differently.
Roane et al. (2001) first showed the AQ works; Tabosa shows it can be shorter and still useful.
Why it matters
If you test Portuguese-speaking adults, use the 3-factor key instead of the full 50-item tally.
You will save time and still track the traits that matter most.
Hand the client the same form, but score it the Brazilian way.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study examined the factor structure of the Brazilian version of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient. This is a self-report questionnaire for continuous and quantitative assessment of autistic spectrum traits in adults. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed on the five-factor model (social skill, attention switching, attention to detail, communication and imagination) proposed by the original authors, support not being found for this model in our sample. An exploratory factor analysis was then performed that resulted in an alternative three-factor model (social skills, details/patterns and imagination). Confirmatory factor analysis of the latter model revealed adequate psychometric indexes. The Brazilian version of the AQ was shown to be an adequate instrument for the evaluation of signs compatible with the autism spectrum in adults.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2018 · doi:10.1007/s10803-017-3424-6