Presented by Peter D. Marle, BA University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

Psychometric Properties of a New Measure to Differentiate the Autism Spectrum from Schizoid

Personality Disorder TraitsPresented by

Peter D. Marle, BA

University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

A New Measure to Differentiate the Autism SpectrumPeter D. Marle, BA

Issues with Diagnoses of Autism and Schizoid Personality Disorder

Autism Schizoid PD


Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s Disorder, and High Functioning Autism (HFA)

Similarities and Differences in Prevalence


Autistic Disorder Asperger’s HFA

Language Delaysa

Mental Retardationb 75% (Pennington, 2002) Usually not Associated*

ADHDc 31% (Leyfer et al., 2006) 29% (Ghaziuddinf, 2002)

Poor Communication Skillsd 50% (Pennington, 2002)

Depressive Disorder 37% (Ghaziuddinf, 2002)

b: IQ < 70.

Hypotheses

1. The new 45-item survey (Coolidge Autistic Symptoms Survey [CASS]) would

exhibit good internal reliability and test-retest reliability

2. The survey would differentiate among:

1. Children classified as loners by their parents

2. Children diagnosed with Asperger’s Disorder

3. A control group of children purportedly and without a diagnosis of either

3. The Asperger’s group would score significantly higher than the other two groups on a

measure of ADHD


measure of depression


measure of executive function deficits


Participants

•Parents of 72 participants were recruited from students at a midwestern university

•44 boys and 28 girls ranging in age from 3 to 16 years old (M = 8.8 years, SD = 4.2 years)

•19 children diagnosed with Asperger’s Disorder by a mental health professional

•19 children considered loners by parents, no diagnosis of autism

•34 children in a control group who had never warranted any psychological diagnosis

according to parental reports


Materials

•45-item CASS

•200-item Coolidge Personality and Neuropsychological Inventory for Children (CPNI)

•Containing:

•Scales measuring 12 childhood personality disorder traits

•Anxiety and depression scales

•A scale measuring the official criteria in the DSM-IV-TR for ADHD

•A scale measuring executive function deficits

• An informed consent form

• A demographic form


Results

1. The CASS internal scale reliability (Cronbach’s α) was excellent (α = .97; N = 72)

The CASS test-retest reliability (one week) was also high (r = .91; N = 45)

2. The CASS differentiated among the three groups, F(2, 69) = 67.1, p < .001 (η2 = .66)

1. The Asperger’s group (M = 118.8, SD = 17.2) scored significantly higher than

the loner group (M = 92.9, SD = 28.4)

2. The Loner group scored significantly higher than the control group (M = 60.4,

SD = 8.8)

3. The CPNI differentiated among the three groups on the ADHD scale, F(2, 69) = 16.7,

p < .001 (η2 = .33)

1. The Asperger’s group (M = 66.3, SD = 10.7) scored significantly higher on the

ADHD scale than the loner group (M = 55.5, SD = 15.4)

2. The Loner group scored significantly higher than the control group (M = 45.9,

SD = 11.5)


Results (continued)

1. An ANOVA was performed on the Depression scale of the CPNI, F(2, 69) = 14.9, p

< .001 (η2 = .30)

1. The Asperger’s group (M = 64.3, SD = 11.2) and the loner group (M = 55.8, SD

= 15.7) scored significantly higher on the Depression scale than the control

group (M = 45.3, SD = 10.9).

2. However, the Tukey’s post-hoc test revealed only a marginally significant

difference between the Asperger’s group and the loner group (p = .061)

2. An ANOVA was also performed upon the Executive Function Deficits scale of the

CPNI, F(2, 69) = 20.1, p < .001 (η2 = .37)

1. The Asperger’s group (M = 66.9, SD = 10.4) scored significantly higher than the

loner group (M = 58.1, SD = 15.9)

2. The loner group scored significantly higher than the control group (M = 45.3,

SD = 10.9).


Implications•The CASS may be a useful measure in order to differentiate between children with Asperger’s Disorder and children who may have strong introvertive and/or schizoid personality traits. It also appears that the CASS is imminently successful at differentiating non-clinical children from those with Asperger’s Disorder. It should be noted that the CASS was originally designed to differentiate all children in the autism spectrum, not just those children in the spectrum who were higher functioning. Therefore, when the CASS is used to identify those children in the autism spectrum who are higher functioning (i.e., at least cognitively and/or language functions), item 12 of the CASS (e.g., My child’s speech development was delayed.) should be reverse scored if the CASS is specifically being used to identify a child with Asperger’s Disorder. Certainly, further research with the CASS is warranted. The present study was limited in the generalization of the present findings by a single parent’s report of not only their diagnosis, but also of their personality and cognitive traits. Future studies may wish to include clinical interviews and clinical observations of the children in order to confirm their diagnosis and to include multiple ratings of the children’s behavior, e.g., a second parent or guardian, teachers, caretakers, etc.


Presented by Peter D. Marle, BA University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

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