title: [The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) Japanese version: evidence from high-functioning clinical group and normal adults].
abstract: Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Skinner, Martin, and Clubley (2001) constructed brief, self-administered instruments named the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), for measuring the degree to which an adult with normal intelligence has the traits associated with the autistic spectrum. In this paper, we report on a Japanese version of this new instrument. Three groups of Japanese subjects were assessed. Group 1 (n = 57) consisted of adults with Asperger Syndrome (AS) or high-functioning autism (HFA). The other two groups were control groups. Subjects of Group 2 (n = 194) were normal adults and those of Group 3 (n = 1 050) were students selected from five Universities in Tokyo and Chiba. The adults with AS/HFA had a mean AQ score of 37.9 (SD = 5.31), which was significantly higher than the two control groups (Group 2: X = 18.5, SD = 6.21, and Group 3: X = 20.7, SD = 6.38). While eighty-eight percent of the adults with AS/HFA scored more than 33 points, only 3% of subjects in the two control groups indicated those points. Among the controls, males scored slightly but significantly higher than females. The reliability of the AQ in both test-retest and inter-rater measures were significantly high.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Letters, Chiba University, Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8522.
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wakabayashi
authors.forename: Yoshikuni
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tojo
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baron-Cohen
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wheelwright
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D020817:Asperger Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011594:Psychometrics; D012647:Self-Assessment