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Diagnosing Autism in Adults with Intellectual Disability: Validation of the DiBAS-R in an Independent Sample

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Abstract

The study assessed the diagnostic validity of the diagnostic behavioral assessment for autism spectrum disorders-revised (DiBAS-R; 19-item screening scale based on ratings by caregivers) in a clinical sample of 381 adults with ID. Analysis revealed a sensitivity of 0.82 and a specificity of 0.67 in the overall sample (70.3% agreement). Sensitivity (0.79) and specificity (0.84) were balanced in individuals with mild to moderate ID (83.3% agreement), while specificity was lower in individuals with severe to profound ID (sensitivity: 0.83, specificity: 0.34, 51% agreement). The level of ID as well as its interaction with ASD explained a significant proportion of the variance in the DiBAS-R scores. The DiBAS-R is an adequate screening tool, especially in individuals with mild to moderate ID.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the participants, their families, and caregivers for participation. Thanks a lot to Heika Kaiser for the psychometric evaluations (SCQ, PDD-MRS, ADOS, and ADI-R) and to the hospital staff, especially the nurses and special needs caregivers, who helped in data collection.

Author contributions

TS and JB collected the data. All authors contributed in data analysis and interpretation and writing of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Education and Psychology, Clinical-Psychological Intervention, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Manuel Heinrich

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Ev. Krankenhaus Königin Elisabeth Herzberge (KEH), Herzbergstr. 79, 10365, Berlin, Germany

    Manuel Heinrich, Julia Böhm & Tanja Sappok

  3. Department of Education and Psychology, Zentrum für Seelische Gesundheit, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Julia Böhm

Authors
  1. Manuel Heinrich
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  3. Tanja Sappok
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tanja Sappok.

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Ethical Approval

The study was approved by the respective ethics committee (Berlin: KEH ethics committee, approval granted 06/10/2009 and Landeskrankenhausgesetz §25.1, version 9/2011).

Informed Consent

All participants provided informed consent, or a consultee of legal guardian did so on their behalf.

Research Involving with Human Participants

All procedures involving human participants were performed in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committees where the data were collected, and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Heinrich, M., Böhm, J. & Sappok, T. Diagnosing Autism in Adults with Intellectual Disability: Validation of the DiBAS-R in an Independent Sample. J Autism Dev Disord 48, 341–350 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3336-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3336-5

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