The Structure of Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptoms in the General Population at 18 Months

• Published in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders Vol. 43; no. 1; pp. 45 - 56
• Main Authors: Beuker, Karin T., Schjølberg, Synnve, Lie, Kari Kveim, Donders, Rogier, Lappenschaar, Martijn, Swinkels, Sophie H. N., Buitelaar, Jan K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.01.2013; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Algorithms; Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorders; Autistic children; Autistic spectrum disorders; Behavior Problems; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Care and treatment; Child and School Psychology; Child clinical studies; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive - diagnosis; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive - psychology; Children; Cohort Studies; Communication; Communication Skills; Developmental disorders; Diagnosis; Factor Analysis, Statistical; Factor Structure; Female; Foreign Countries; Humans; Infant; Infantile autism; Interpersonal Competence; Interpersonal Relations; Latent class analysis; Male; Medical sciences; Mothers; Mothers - psychology; Neurosciences; Norway; Original Paper; Pediatrics; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychological Tests; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Public Health; Questionnaires; Sex Factors; Social aspects; Stereotyped Behavior; Symptoms; Symptoms (Individual Disorders); Toddlers; Young Children; Norway; Autism spectrum disorders; Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA); MoBa; General population; Symptom domains; Infants; Latent class analysis (LCA); Human; Infant; Developmental disorder; Latent class analysis; Autism spectrum disorder; Autism; Symptomatology; Pervasive developmental disorder; Confirmatory factor analysis
• ISSN: 0162-3257; 1573-3432; 1573-3432
• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-012-1546-4

It is unclear whether symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in young children in the population fit the three-factor structure of ASD as described in the DSM-IV, and cluster together in individual subjects. This study analysed questionnaire data on ASD symptoms filled in by mothers of 11,332 18-month-old children that was collected in the context of the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study conducted by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Confirmatory Factor Analyses showed that the three-factor model had a significantly better fit then the two- and one-factor model of ASD symptoms. Latent class analysis revealed four homogeneous groups of children (classes) with different scores for Social Interaction and Communication at one hand and Stereotypies/Rigidity at the other hand.