Team ADHD and Autism, Psychiatric Center Glostrup
Knowledge about Autism Spectrum Disorder has increased significantly in recent decades. An increasing prevalence from 0.6% in 2001 to 2.0% in 2018 is an indication of this, yet many patients are only diagnosed very late in their disease course. Good screening tools can support clinicians and contribute to faster and more effective diagnosis. This first clinical research project from Team ADHD & Autism, PCG, focuses on screening questionnaires for ASD.
The project is two-part and will investigate 2 screening questionnaires with relevance for autism investigation: schiZotypal Autism Questionnaire (ZAQ) and Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale – Revised (RAADS-R).
ZAQ:
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizotypal disorder (SS) are both heterogeneous disorders with considerable overlap in symptoms and presentation. At all levels of assessment in the healthcare system, the differential diagnostic considerations between ASD and SS pose great challenges for clinicians. It is crucial for patient processes that patients suspected of either SS or ASD are initially referred to the right place: either psychosis assessment (OPUS) or autism assessment.
Although several validated screening questionnaires exist for ASD and SS, none of them have differential diagnostic properties. With this study, we therefore want to test a newly developed screening questionnaire, the schiZotypal Autism Questionnaire (ZAQ), which provides a combined screening for both conditions while showing the relative likelihood of each.
Purpose:
The overall aim of the project is to investigate the discriminative properties (ASD vs. SS), the diagnostic accuracy and the validity of the schiZotypy Autism Questionnaire (ZAQ).
Methods:
We aim to test 200 patients with ASD, 100 patients with SS and 200 controls from the general population (phase 1). The results from the ZAQ will be compared with the clinical diagnoses made at the specialized outpatient clinics.
Results and conclusion:
The results from the study will, after psychometric analysis, form the basis for a revised version of the ZAQ-R which will be tested in phase 2 of the study (2024).
RAADS-R:
RAADS-R is a widely used screening tool, used to support the investigation of ASF worldwide. We will test the validity of a Danish translation (RAADS-R-DK) in an outpatient population to assess the clinical utility of this screening tool.
The preparation of the new questionnaire ZAQ has been carried out in collaboration with an international team consisting of reputable and experienced autism/schizotypy researchers worldwide (see list of collaborators). The Danish translation of RAADS-R has been carried out by Team for ADHD & Autism, PC Glostrup.