The Survey of Favorite Interests and Activities: Assessing and understanding restricted interests in children with autism spectrum disorder.
The Survey of Favorite Interests and Activities is a quick, reliable way to see how restricted interests help or hurt kids with autism.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team built a new child-friendly survey. It asks kids with autism about their favorite topics and how those interests help or hurt daily life.
They checked that the questions hang together and relate to other known measures. The goal was a quick way to map restricted interests in clinic or school.
What they found
The Survey of Favorite Interests and Activities showed good internal consistency. Scores lined up with expected patterns, so the tool looks reliable.
The survey captures both the joy and the trouble that special interests can bring.
How this fits with other research
Lopata et al. (2020) also built a checklist for autistic kids, but teachers filled it out. Both studies found strong internal consistency, showing parent, teacher, or child versions can work if designed well.
Griffith et al. (2012) debuted the SATQ for young adults. Like the new survey, it reported solid reliability, yet it tracks broad traits instead of single interests. The pair together lets you span from childhood fascinations to adult trait levels.
Curiel et al. (2024) used a preference assessment to pick video reinforcers. Their tool ranks momentary likes, while the Favorite Interests survey measures deeper, long-term passions. Using both gives you the full picture of what the child loves right now and what they will talk about for hours.
Why it matters
You now have a short, child-friendly scale that shows how special interests help or hinder learning and friendship. Give it at intake, share results with parents, and write goals that use the child’s top interest as a hook for tougher tasks.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Restricted interests are an established diagnostic symptom of autism spectrum disorder. While there is considerable evidence that these interests have maladaptive consequences, they also provide a range of benefits. This article introduces a new instrument, the Survey of Favorite Interests and Activities, and uses it to examine the nature of restricted interests in autism spectrum disorder. Respondents report substantial benefits of restricted interests as well as areas of difficulty. The Survey of Favorite Interests and Activities assesses Social Flexibility, Perseveration, Respondent Discomfort, Adaptive Coping, and Atypicality. All scales have Cronbach's α > 0.70. Age and socioeconomic status have little effect on Survey of Favorite Interests and Activities scales; nor does gender with the exception of interest Atypicality. The expected pattern of correlations with existing scales was found. Research and clinical implications are discussed.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2019 · doi:10.1177/1362361317742140