Evaluating the latent structure of the non-social domain of autism in autistic adults.
Rachel Grove, Sander Begeer, Anke M Scheeren and 2 others
PMID 33658064WHAT IT FOUND
In 833 autistic adults, non-social traits split into four distinct but related dimensions: repetitive motor movements, insistence on sameness, restricted interests, and sensory sensitivity.
These four areas should be assessed separately rather than as a single score or broad pair, as they vary independently across individuals.
Key findings
01The four DSM-5 non-social criteria (repetitive motor movements, insistence on sameness, restricted interests, sensory sensitivity) fit a four-factor model better than one- or two-factor models.
02The four non-social factors were moderately correlated, indicating they are distinct but related dimensions.
03The Adult Routines Inventory showed a five-factor structure in autistic adults, differing from the two-factor structure found in non-clinical samples.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study relied on self-report measures, so it only includes autistic adults who were cognitively able to complete these assessments, limiting generalisability to those with higher support needs or intellectual disabilities. Diagnoses were not clinically confirmed for the entire sample, though participants reported having received a diagnosis from a qualified health professional. There is a circularity issue: all participants had a formal autism diagnosis, meaning they inherently endorsed at least two of the four non-social criteria, which may bias the factor structure towards those traits. The study was cross-sectional and did not evaluate how these traits change over time or their impact on daily functioning and support needs.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the University of Technology Sydney. The authors declared no other conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that because the four non-social traits are correlated, they can be treated as interchangeable. A patient with high sensory sensitivity does not necessarily have high insistence on sameness, and interventions targeting one may not address the other. The study shows they are distinct factors, even if they often co-occur.