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Brief Report: The Autism Spectrum Quotient has Convergent Validity with the Social Responsiveness Scale in a High-Functioning Sample

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Abstract

The Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) is widely used to measure autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms and screen for ASD. It is readily available free of charge online and is easily accessible to practitioners, researchers and individuals who suspect that they may have an ASD. Thus, the AQ is a potentially useful, widely accessible tool for ASD screening. The objective of this study was to examine the convergent validity of the AQ using a well-established, published screening measure of autism: the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). Twenty-three high-functioning participants (aged 8–19) with ASD were administered both measures. Results indicated a significant correlation between the SRS and AQ ratings, providing evidence for convergent validity of the AQ with the SRS.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by scholarships from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Autism Research Training (ART) program funded by the Canadian institutes of health research (CIHR) to Kimberly Armstrong, and a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research scholar award to Grace Iarocci. The authors would like to thank Krista Johnston, Elina Birmingham and Jodi Yager for their help in this study.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Autism and Developmental Disorders Lab, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Dr., Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada

    Kimberly Armstrong & Grace Iarocci

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  1. Kimberly Armstrong
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  2. Grace Iarocci
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Correspondence to Kimberly Armstrong.

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Armstrong, K., Iarocci, G. Brief Report: The Autism Spectrum Quotient has Convergent Validity with the Social Responsiveness Scale in a High-Functioning Sample. J Autism Dev Disord 43, 2228–2232 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-013-1769-z

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