Construct Validity of the Autism Impact Measure (AIM).
Micah O Mazurek, Coleen Carlson, Mary Baker-Ericzén and 3 others
PMID 29344761WHAT IT FOUND
The AIM parent questionnaire for children with ASD grouped into five symptom areas: repetitive behavior, atypical behavior, communication, social reciprocity, and peer interaction.
Scores matched related autism measures, so it can help clinicians track specific symptom targets.
Key findings
01The AIM items were reduced to 29 items forming five retained factors: Repetitive Behavior, Atypical Behavior, Communication, Social Reciprocity, and Peer Interaction.
02The five AIM factor scores fit the data well, and correlations among the factors ranged from .37 to .64.
03The AIM factor scores lined up with other autism measures of similar symptoms, with strengths from moderate to large.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study only tested children and adolescents already diagnosed with ASD, so it does not show how the AIM works in other children. The AIM has not yet been shown to detect change after treatment, so it is not yet evidence that scores improve because therapy works. The factor analysis removed items to improve fit, so the final 29-item version may not match the original 41-item questionnaire exactly. The sample was mostly male and mostly Caucasian, so results may not apply to girls or other backgrounds. All measures were completed within a single visit, so the study did not test score stability over time.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the good fit and correlations as proof that the AIM detects treatment gains. The study tested structure and convergent validity in children with ASD, not change after therapy.