Assessing the convergence of self-report and informant measures for adults with autism spectrum disorder.
Rachel K Sandercock, Elena M Lamarche, Mark R Klinger and 1 others
PMID 32744068WHAT IT FOUND
Caregivers reported more daily living skill deficits and unmet service needs than adults with autism did themselves.
Both groups agreed closely on symptom severity. Combining self-report and caregiver views predicted employment status better than either alone.
Key findings
01Caregivers reported significantly fewer daily living skills than adults with ASD reported about themselves.
02A significantly higher proportion of caregivers (63%) than adults with ASD (35%) reported that the adult needed additional services.
03Combining self-report and caregiver-report measures predicted employment status better than self-report alone.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was relatively small (40 pairs) and recruited from a database of individuals diagnosed in childhood, which may not represent adults diagnosed later in life. All participants had a childhood IQ of 85 or higher and no comorbid intellectual disability, so results do not apply to adults with lower cognitive abilities. The study did not have current clinician assessments of symptoms or IQ; it relied on childhood records and survey data. The daily living skills measure had a limited range of scores, which may have inflated the agreement between reporters.
Declared interests
The study was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that agreement between self-report and caregiver report means the reports are identical. While the scores were correlated, caregivers consistently reported more deficits in daily skills and more unmet service needs than the adults did themselves. Relying on only one perspective may miss necessary supports.