Whether the Autism Spectrum Quotient consists of two different subgroups? Cluster analysis of the Autism Spectrum Quotient in general population.
High Autism Spectrum Quotient scorers in the general population aren’t one homogeneous group—clinicians should probe attention-to-detail patterns before assuming autism traits.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers gave the Autism Spectrum Quotient to 4,901 university students. They used cluster analysis to see if high scorers formed clear subgroups. No one had a diagnosis; the study looked at traits in the general population.
What they found
High scorers split into two distinct clusters. One group had very high attention-to-detail scores. The other group did not. The finding shows high autism traits are not one uniform block.
How this fits with other research
Sasson et al. (2022) warns that trait studies like this do not equal autism. Their critique fits this paper exactly; it studied neurotypical students, not autistic people.
King et al. (2018) used the same latent-class method on UK children. They found five wellbeing profiles, showing the technique can reveal real groups in population data.
Szatmari (1992) first asked whether ASD subtypes exist. Kitazoe et al. (2017) brings new math to that old question, but in a non-clinical sample.
Why it matters
Before you label a client “high traits,” look at their attention-to-detail scores. Two people can share the same total but differ in skills and needs. Use follow-up questions, not just the total, when you plan supports.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the individuals in the general population with high scores on the Autism Spectrum Quotient constituted a single homogeneous group or not. A cohort of university students (n = 4901) was investigated by cluster analysis based on the original five subscales of the Autism Spectrum Quotient. Based on the results of the analysis, the students could be divided into six clusters: the first with low scores on all the five subscales, the second with high scores on only the 'attention to detail' subscale, the third and fourth with intermediate scores on all the subscales, the fifth with high scores on four of the five subscales but low scores on the 'attention to detail' subscale and the sixth with high scores on all the five subscales. The students with high total Autism Spectrum Quotient scores (n = 166) were divided into two groups: one with high scores on four subscales but low scores on the 'attention to detail' subscale and the other with high scores on all the five subscales. The results of this study suggested that individuals from the general population with high Autism Spectrum Quotient scores may consist of two qualitatively different groups.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2017 · doi:10.1177/1362361316638787