Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32799931›Full record

ArticleMolecular autism2020

Development of the Signposting Questionnaire for Autism (SQ-A): measurement comparison with the 10-item Autism Spectrum Quotient-Child and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in the UK and Latvia.

Catherine R G Jones, Sarah L Barrett, Ieva Bite, Maria Legzdina, Kristina Arina, Andrea Higgins, Kyla Honey, Sarah J Carrington, Dale Hay, Johanna Condon and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract readComparative Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular autism, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 40% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Catherine R G JonesSchool of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK. jonescr10@cardiff.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0003-0541-0431
Sarah L BarrettSchool of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Ieva BiteDepartment of Psychology, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia.
Maria LegzdinaDepartment of Psychology, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia.
Kristina ArinaDepartment of Psychology, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia.
Andrea HigginsSchool of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Kyla HoneySchool of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Sarah J CarringtonDepartment of Psychology, School of Life and Health Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham, UK.
Dale HaySchool of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Johanna CondonHealios Neurodevelopment Service, Healios Ltd, Southampton, UK.
Susan R LeekamSchool of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Cardiff University · GBUniversity of Latvia · LVAston University · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRecognising the signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be a challenge for frontline professionals. The use of brief parent-completed questionnaires for recording the signs of ASD in school-aged children may be an important and efficient contributor to professional insight. However, to date, such questionnaires have not been designed to be used in coordination with current standardised Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) diagnostic tools. Furthermore, the measurement characteristics of such questionnaires have been unexplored across countries that differ in levels of national autism service provision and cultural interpretation of the signs of ASD.

methodsA new 14-item questionnaire (Signposting Questionnaire for Autism (SQ-A)) was developed using published DSM-5 items from a clinical interview, the Diagnostic Interview for Social Communication Disorders (DISCO). Measurement comparison was tested with the Short Autism Spectrum Quotient-Child (AQ-10) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Parents of 4-11-year-old children in the UK (N = 200) and Latvia (N = 104) completed all three questionnaires. Information on clinical diagnosis provided by parents led to classification into three groups: ASD diagnosis, other conditions and no conditions. In the UK, a subsample of teachers also provided cross-informant reliability.

resultsIn both countries, there was evidence of acceptable to good internal consistency for the SQ-A, with significantly higher scores for the ASD group and evidence of convergent and discriminant validity. There was also good parent-teacher reliability for the three measures. Notably, the questionnaires designed specifically to measure autism (SQ-A, AQ-10) performed more similarly to one another compared to the broader SDQ, with differences found for the ASD group. The overall pattern of responding to the three questionnaires was highly similar between countries.

conclusionsThese results indicate the potential of the 14-item SQ-A to guide frontline professionals in the recognition of the signs of autism in children, facilitating the provision of appropriate support.

Indexed as

Surveys and QuestionnairesAutistic DisorderChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansLatviaMaleParentsReproducibility of ResultsUnited KingdomAutismAutism Spectrum QuotientDiagnosisDiagnostic Interview for Social Communication DisordersParent reportSignpostingSignposting Questionnaire for AutismStrengths and Difficulties Questionnaire

Identifiers

PMID32799931
PMCPMC7429457
OpenAlexW3049012356

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.