Evaluating the appropriateness of a new computer-administered measure of adaptive function for children and youth with autism spectrum disorders.

The Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test is an alternative method for describing the adaptive function of children and youth with disabilities using a computer-administered assessment. This study evaluated the performance of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test with a national sample of children and youth with autism spectrum disorders aged 3-21 years. Parents (n = 365) completed an online survey that included demographics, the Social Communication Questionnaire, and the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test Social/Cognitive, Daily Activities, and Responsibility domains. Item response theory analysis confirmed items in each domain fit a unidimensional model and few items misfit. A large number of items in the Social/Cognitive domain showed differential item functioning, indicating a unique order of item difficulty in this population in this domain. Differences in item difficulty estimates were addressed through a parameter linking (equating) process. Simulations supported the accuracy and precision of the Computer Adaptive Test. Results suggest that the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test, as modified for autism spectrum disorder, is an efficient and sound assessment for this population.

Strategies to address participant misrepresentation for eligibility in Web-based research.

Emerging methodological research suggests that the World Wide Web ("Web") is an appropriate venue for survey data collection, and a promising area for delivering behavioral intervention. However, the use of the Web for research raises concerns regarding sample validity, particularly when the Web is used for recruitment and enrollment. The purpose of this paper is to describe the challenges experienced in two different Web-based studies in which participant misrepresentation threatened sample validity: a survey study and an online intervention study. The lessons learned from these experiences generated three types of strategies researchers can use to reduce the likelihood of participant misrepresentation for eligibility in Web-based research. Examples of procedural/design strategies, technical/software strategies and data analytic strategies are provided along with the methodological strengths and limitations of specific strategies. The discussion includes a series of considerations to guide researchers in the selection of strategies that may be most appropriate given the aims, resources and target population of their studies.