title: The construction and validation of an abridged version of the autism-spectrum quotient (AQ-Short).
abstract: This study reports on the development and validation of an abridged version of the 50-item Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), a self-report measure of autistic traits. We aimed to reduce the number of items whilst retaining high validity and a meaningful factor structure. The item reduction procedure was performed on data from 1,263 Dutch students and general population adults. The resulting 28-item AQ-Short was subsequently validated in 3 independent samples, both clinical and controls, from the Netherlands and the UK. The AQ-Short comprises two higher-order factors assessing 'social behavioral difficulties' and 'a fascination for numbers/patterns'. The clear factor structure of the AQ-Short and its high sensitivity and specificity make the AQ-Short a useful alternative to the full 50-item version.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK. R.A.Hoekstra@open.ac.uk
authors.forename: Rosa A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Hoekstra
authors.forename: Anna A E
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Vinkhuyzen
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wheelwright
authors.forename: Meike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bartels
authors.forename: Dorret I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Boomsma
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baron-Cohen
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Posthuma
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: van der Sluis
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000175:diagnosis*; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D057566:Self Report; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult