Psychometric Assessments of Three Self-Report Autism Scales (AQ, RBQ-2A, and SQ) for General Adult Populations.
The 9-item AQ, revised RBQ-2A, and 7-item SQ give fast, solid adult autism-trait screens.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Jia et al. (2019) trimmed three adult autism questionnaires. They cut the 50-item Autism Spectrum Quotient to 9 items. They shortened the Repetitive Behaviour Questionnaire for adults and the Systemizing Quotient.
The team ran psychometric checks on the new forms. Adults from the general community filled them out. The goal was quick, valid screens for autism traits.
What they found
All three short forms held up. The 9-item AQ, revised RBQ-2A, and 7-item SQ kept good reliability and validity.
The scales still measured what they should, only faster.
How this fits with other research
Lundin et al. (2019) tested a 10-item AQ on 2,000 Stockholm adults. Both studies show the AQ family works when slimmed.
Gomez et al. (2019) factor-checked the child AQ. Their four-factor fix for kids mirrors the adult trimming trend: keep the scale, drop the clutter.
Faja et al. (2023) compared eight clinician tools for kids. They also found shorter or cleaner versions can separate ASD from NT groups, backing the idea that lean does not mean weak.
Why it matters
You now have three adult self-report screens that take under two minutes. Use them during intake, telehealth, or research sign-up to flag clients who need deeper autism assessment. No extra staff, no long packets.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study assesses the psychometric properties of three self-report measures of autistic-like tendencies in the general adult population: autistic spectrum quotient (AQ), adult repetitive behaviours questionnaire-2 (RBQ-2A), and systemizing quotient (SQ). Three rounds of development and testing using different U.S. and global samples led to three instruments that are psychometrically sound, parsimonious, and generalizable across populations. The resulting AQ-9, consisting of two factors: social communication and attention to detail, now mirrors the current dual diagnostic criteria in the DSM-5. The RBQ-2A-R has now been refined through CFA for the first time. The new SQ-7 scale also has updated content. All three refined scales demonstrate satisfactory psychometric validity and parsimony and now provide evidence of their appropriateness for empirical research.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2019 · doi:10.1007/s10803-019-03880-x