[Psychodiagnostic instruments for the assessment of autism spectrum disorders].
OBJECTIVE
Established scales for the early detection and general diagnostics of autism will be reviewed with a focus on the instruments available in German.


METHODS
All questionnaires, observation scales and interviews for the assessment of autism and associated conditions found in a search of Medline, PsychInfo, Psyndex and Google up to May 2004 are quoted. Instruments adapted and developed for the German-speaking countries are presented in more depth.


RESULTS
An increasing number of reliable national and international scales for the assessment of disorders of the autism spectrum are available. Currently a combination of the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) is regarded as the standard for a psychometrically based diagnosis of autism.


CONCLUSIONS
For certain diagnostic groups and issues there continues to be a need for German-language instruments. Particularly scales for the assessment of the broader phenotype of autism, as well as instruments that are more sensitive to change would be desirable for outcome measurement and intervention evaluation.
Bölte
Sven
S
Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie des Kindes- und Jugendalters, Klinikum der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main. Boelte@em.uni-frankfurt.de
Poustka
Fritz
F
D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007406:Interview, Psychological / Q000379:methods*; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results