The Aberrant Behavior Checklist in a Clinical Sample of Autistic Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities and Co-Occurring Mental Health Problems: Psychometric Properties, Factor Structure, and Longitudinal Measurement Invariance.
Arvid Nikolai Kildahl, Jane Margrete Askeland Hellerud, Marianne Berg Halvorsen and 1 others
PMID 39754654WHAT IT FOUND
The Aberrant Behavior Checklist reliably measures irritability, social withdrawal, stereotypic behaviour, and inappropriate speech in autistic adults with intellectual disabilities.
Do not track changes in hyperactivity or noncompliance over time, as these scores are not comparable across visits.
Key findings
01Four of the five subscales (irritability, social withdrawal, stereotypic behaviour, inappropriate speech) showed longitudinal measurement invariance, meaning scores are comparable over time.
02The hyperactivity/noncompliance subscale failed to demonstrate configural invariance, indicating the items do not measure the same construct consistently across time points.
03Self-injurious behaviour items emerged as a separate factor from irritability, suggesting clinicians should consider scoring these items independently rather than only within the irritability subscale.
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 drawn from specialised clinical services for mental health disorders, so findings may not generalise to autistic people with intellectual disabilities in the community. Attrition was higher among male participants, though the remaining sample did not differ significantly on ABC scores. Different caregivers may have completed the ABC at different time points, which could influence ratings. The study did not include a control group to compare factor structure against non-autistic populations.
Declared interests
Funded by the University of Oslo (including Oslo University Hospital). No other conflicts of interest declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that a drop in the hyperactivity/noncompliance subscale score indicates the patient is calmer or more compliant. This study found that this subscale does not measure the same construct consistently over time, so score changes may reflect rater bias or shifting item interpretation rather than actual clinical change.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →