Measuring subjective quality of life in autistic adults with the PROMIS global-10: Psychometric study and development of an autism-specific scoring method.
Zachary J Williams, Carissa J Cascio, Tiffany G Woynaroski
PMID 35403453WHAT IT FOUND
A 10-item global health questionnaire can be scored for autistic adults as a single quality-of-life score.
A free calculator exists, but testing was mainly in White, female, college-educated adults who self-reported autism.
Key findings
01The PROMIS Global-10 produced a single general quality-of-life score with high reliability in this sample.
02Three items alone gave scores very similar to the full score, but were less accurate at the high and low ends.
03The score was developed in independent autistic adults, mostly White, female, and college-educated.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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 sample was predominantly White, female, college-educated, and diagnosed in adulthood, so it does not represent many autistic adults. Participants were independent adults who could self-report, and intellectual ability was not assessed, so the score may not fit autistic adults with greater support needs or intellectual disability. Autism diagnoses were self-reported and not independently confirmed. The measurement model was modified after looking at the data, so it needs replication in other samples. The study did not test stability over time, repeated administration, or sensitivity to change. The three-item short form loses precision at very high or very low quality of life.
Declared interests
No conflict-of-interest or funding declaration is included in the supplied text. The article metadata lists NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support. The study used SPARK participants, and one autistic author designed the study, analyzed data, and wrote the manuscript.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that any treatment improves quality of life in autistic adults. The paper tested a questionnaire score, and the sample was mostly independent, White, female, college-educated adults who could self-report.