Spanish Validation of the Autism Quotient Short Form Questionnaire for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
The Spanish AQ-Short showed a two-factor, four-subscale structure with very good reliability and moderate convergence with the ADOS-2, supporting its use to screen autism traits in Spanish-speaking adults.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Lugo-Marín et al. (2019) checked if the 28-question Spanish AQ-Short works for adults.
They gave the brief self-report to adults with autism and to other adults.
The team looked at whether scores stayed stable and matched ADOS-2 ratings.
What they found
The Spanish AQ-Short held together well.
It gave similar results when people took it again.
Adults with autism scored higher than other adults, and their numbers lined up with ADOS-2 severity.
How this fits with other research
Byiers et al. (2025) took the same idea to kids. They used community teams to make a Spanish AQ-Child that Latino families trust.
Hedley et al. (2010) did a similar job with Mexican toddlers. Their Spanish ADEC-SP also flagged autism accurately.
Magaña et al. (2013) saw a wrinkle: on the ADI-R, Latino adults scored lower on restricted behaviors. The AQ-Short did not show that drop, so you may still want extra probes for repetitive behaviors.
Why it matters
You now have a quick, free Spanish screen for adults. Give it while clients wait, then use the score to decide if a full ADOS-2 is needed. Pair it with interviews that dig into repetitive behaviors so culture does not mask symptoms.
What the AQ-Short measures
The AQ-Short is an abbreviated version of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient, a self-report screen for autistic traits in adults. It is designed to be quicker than the full 50-item questionnaire.
In this validation, the questionnaire resolved into two higher-order factors, Social Behaviour and Numbers/Patterns, and four subscales: Social Skills, Routines, Switching, and Imagination.
Validation results in Spanish adults
The Spanish AQ-Short was administered to 46 adults with autism, 41 relatives, 17 patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, and 190 non-clinical adults.
Reliability was very good for internal structure and test-retest stability, and the tool showed moderate convergent validity with the ADOS-2. Group differences distinguished the autism group from the others.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The objective of this study was to adapt and validate the abbreviated version of the "Autism-Spectrum Quotient" (AQ-Short) in a sample of Spanish native adults. A total of 46 individuals with ASD, 41 ASD-relatives, 17 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and 190 non-clinical adults were administered the Spanish version of the AQ-Short. The results of the confirmatory factorial analysis found two high-order factors (Social Behaviour and Numbers/Patterns) and four subscales (Social Skills, Routines, Switching and Imagination). The reliability analysis showed very good internal structure and test-retest reliability. The AQ-Short also showed moderate convergent validity with ADOS-2. Differences by group were found in the ASD group when compared to other groups. Gender differences were only found in the non-clinical group.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2019 · doi:10.1007/s10803-019-04127-5