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. 2017 Nov;27(9):814-822.
doi: 10.1089/cap.2017.0018. Epub 2017 May 12.

Autism Behavior Inventory: A Novel Tool for Assessing Core and Associated Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abi Bangerter  1 , Seth Ness  1 , Michael G Aman  2 , Anna J Esbensen  3 , Matthew S Goodwin  4 , Geraldine Dawson  5 , Robert Hendren  6 , Bennett Leventhal  7 , Anzalee Khan  8 , Mark Opler  9 , Adrianne Harris  5 , Gahan Pandina  1
Affiliations

Autism Behavior Inventory: A Novel Tool for Assessing Core and Associated Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abi Bangerter et al. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2017 Nov.

Abstract

Objective: Autism Behavior Inventory (ABI) is a new measure for assessing changes in core and associated symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in participants (ages: 3 years-adulthood) diagnosed with ASD. It is a web-based tool with five domains (two ASD core domains: social communication, restrictive and repetitive behaviors; three associated domains: mental health, self-regulation, and challenging behavior). This study describes design, development, and initial psychometric properties of the ABI.

Methods: ABI items were generated following review of existing measures and inputs from expert clinicians. Initial ABI scale contained 161 items that were reduced to fit a factor analytic model, retaining items of adequate reliability. Two versions of the scale, ABI-full (ABI-F; 93 items) and ABI-short version (ABI-S; 36 items), were developed and evaluated for psychometric properties, including validity comparisons with commonly used measures. Both scales were administered to parents and healthcare professionals (HCPs) involved with study participants.

Results: Test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.79) for parent ratings on ABI was robust and compared favorably to existing scales. Test-retest correlations for HCP ratings were generally lower versus parent ratings. ABI core domains and comparison measures strongly correlated (r ≥ 0.70), demonstrating good concurrent validity.

Conclusions: Overall, ABI demonstrates promise as a tool for measuring change in core symptoms of autism in ASD clinical studies, with further validation required.

Keywords: assessment; autism spectrum disorder; measures; outcome; rating scale; software.

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Figures

<b>FIG. 1.</b>
FIG. 1.
Scale development process.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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