Testing a theory-driven factor structure of the autism-spectrum quotient.
A 27-item, six-factor Autism-Spectrum Quotient gives a quicker yet richer picture of adult autism traits.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Zhu et al. (2022) trimmed the 50-item Autism-Spectrum Quotient down to 27 items.
They arranged the items into six new factors and tested the fit on four groups of college students.
The goal was a shorter scale that still paints a clear picture of autism traits in adults.
What they found
The six-factor model fit the data well across all four student samples.
The shorter form keeps the detail while saving about five minutes of fill-in time.
How this fits with other research
Eggleston et al. (2018) used the older four-factor AQ and showed that personality traits like low emotional stability link to lower well-being in adults with high ASD scores.
Yiqin’s finer six-factor version may help you see exactly which trait cluster drives that dip.
Chetcuti et al. (2020) found three temperament profiles in babies who later show autism signs.
The new adult scale lets you track whether those early temperaments map onto the same six factors once the child grows up.
Why it matters
If you screen adults for autism traits, switch to the 27-item form. You get a faster snapshot plus six trait scores instead of four. Use the extra detail to pick targets for social-skills or self-regulation plans, and to show change after intervention.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) is a popular instrument used to assess the degree to which individuals exhibit features of autism spectrum conditions (ASC). The current study aimed to develop a theory-driven factor structure of the AQ that would fit as well across samples as the 12 previously proposed factor structures, all of which, except for the original Baron-Cohen model, had been developed on the basis of exploratory factor analysis (EFA) or principal component analysis. We first proposed a six-factor solution: (1) social anhedonia; (2) interest in details/patterns; (3) imagination ability; (4) desire for predictability/routine; (5) social cognition; and (6) social discourse convention. We tested the six-factor structure and made final item selections (27 items) with EFA using data from college students (n = 503). Then, we empirically tested alternative factor structure models in three other independent samples (ns = 503; 1263; 1641) using confirmatory factor analysis. Results indicated that our model fit as well, if not better, than all of the other models across samples, regardless of parameter estimation methods and software packages. Overall, the theory-driven replicable six-factor structure that we report holds the potential to be used to measure the six domains of features that we identified in the AQ. LAY SUMMARY: Questionnaire measures of autism spectrum conditions have typically been used to measure approximately four broad dimensions. Our study suggests that the Autism-Spectrum Quotient can be used to measure six more narrowly defined dimensions: social anhedonia, interest in details/patterns, imagination ability, desire for predictability/routine, social cognition, and social discourse convention. Additional work is needed to develop measures of a much wider variety of autism spectrum features.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2022 · doi:10.1002/aur.2763