title: Validation of the Finnish Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) for clinical settings and total population screening.
abstract: We assessed the validity and determined cut-off scores for the Finnish Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ). A population sample of 8-year-old children (n = 4,408) was rated via the ASSQ by parents and/or teachers, and a subgroup of 104 children was examined via structured interview, semi-structured observation, IQ measurement, school observation, and medical records. Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) were diagnosed following DSM-IV-TR criteria. A search for hospital-registered ASDs was performed. For Finnish higher-functioning primary school-aged, 7- to 12-year-olds, the optimal cut-off score was 30 in clinical settings and 28 in total population screening using summed ASSQ scores of parents' and teachers' ratings. Determining appropriate cut-off scores in ASD screening in different languages and in different cultures is of utmost importance.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Child Psychiatry, University and University Hospital of Oulu, Oulu, Finland. marja-leena.mattila@fimnet.fi
authors.forename: Marja-Leena
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Mattila
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jussila
authors.forename: Sirkka-Liisa
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Linna
authors.forename: Marko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kielinen
authors.forename: Risto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bloigu
authors.forename: Sanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kuusikko-Gauffin
authors.forename: Leena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Joskitt
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ebeling
authors.forename: Tuula
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hurtig
authors.forename: Irma
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Moilanen
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000175:diagnosis*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D011594:Psychometrics; D012574:Schools; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires