Measurement invariance of the Autism Impact Measure (AIM) across sex in children with autism spectrum disorder.
Nicole H Zhong, Ryan P Grimm, Stephen M Kanne and 1 others
PMID 36341720WHAT IT FOUND
The Autism Impact Measure scores core symptoms equivalently in boys and girls with autism.
You can compare total domain scores between sexes without worrying that the test is biased toward the male presentation. However, the sample was mostly male and white, so this does not confirm the tool works for atypical or camouflaged presentations.
Key findings
01The AIM's five-factor structure showed measurement invariance across sex at configural, metric, and scalar levels.
02There were no statistically significant differences in latent means for any of the five AIM domains between males and females.
03The sample was predominantly male (79.5%) and Caucasian (84.6%), limiting generalizability to females and other racial/ethnic groups.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was heavily skewed toward males (79.5%) and Caucasians (84.6%), so the results may not apply to females or other racial/ethnic groups. The study only tested sex invariance, not invariance across IQ, age, or other subgroups. The analysis was done at the factor level, not the item level, so individual items might still function differently even if the overall domains are stable. The sample consisted of children with clinically diagnosed ASD, mostly with typical male presentations, so it may not reflect those with atypical or camouflaged symptoms.
Declared interests
Two authors receive royalties from Western Psychological Services for the Autism Impact Measure. The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Autism Speaks.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the AIM is equally valid for all demographic groups. The study only proved invariance across sex in a sample that was predominantly white and male. It did not test invariance across race, IQ, or age, and the lack of females and diverse participants means the tool's performance in those groups remains unverified.