Quantitative autistic traits ascertained in a national survey of 22 529 Japanese schoolchildren.
Acta Psychiatr Scand
; 128(1): 45-53, 2013 Jul.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-23171198
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
Recent epidemiologic studies worldwide have documented a rise in prevalence rates for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Broadening of diagnostic criteria for ASD may be a major contributor to the rise in prevalence, particularly if superimposed on an underlying continuous distribution of autistic traits. This study sought to determine the nature of the population distribution of autistic traits using a quantitative trait measure in a large national population sample of children.METHOD:
The Japanese version of the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) was completed by parents on a nationally representative sample of 22 529 children, age 6-15.RESULTS:
Social Responsiveness Scale scores exhibited a skewed normal distribution in the Japanese population with a single-factor structure and no significant relation to IQ within the normal intellectual range. There was no evidence of a natural 'cutoff' that would differentiate populations of categorically affected children from unaffected children.CONCLUSION:
This study provides evidence of the continuous nature of autistic symptoms measured by the SRS, a validated quantitative trait measure. The findings reveal how paradigms for diagnosis that rest on arbitrarily imposed categorical cutoffs can result in substantial variation in prevalence estimation, especially when measurements used for case assignment are not standardized for a given population.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Personalidade
/
Transtorno Autístico
/
Comportamento Infantil
/
Comportamento do Adolescente
/
Relações Interpessoais
Tipo de estudo:
Etiology_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
/
Screening_studies
Limite:
Adolescent
/
Child
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
País/Região como assunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Acta Psychiatr Scand
Ano de publicação:
2013
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Japão