title: Early identification of Asperger syndrome in young children.
abstract: This study was designed to identify items of the ADI-R that allow an early and sensitive identification of children with possible Asperger syndrome (AS). The aim was to obtain an economic short interview suitable for screening purposes. The study was based on data from a clinical sample of 5-18-year-old children and adolescents (mean age 10.9 years) with either Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD; n = 43) or AS (n = 62). The introductory questions and 36 items, which contribute to the diagnostic algorithm of the ADI-R, were subjected to content analysis and stepwise discriminant function analysis. Eight meaningful items were found, which were shown to be good predictors of AS and to discriminate between the children with AS and those with ADHD. The short interview was especially useful for the assessment and screening of children up to 11 years in our sample, because in this subgroup, sensitivity was even higher (.92) and specificity was also excellent (.90). Eight items with high discriminatory power allowed sensitive and economic screening for young children with suspected AS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Philipps-University Marburg, D-35033 Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Wiebke
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: Udo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: König
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heinzel-Gutenbrunner
authors.forename: Fritz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mattejat
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Inge
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kamp-Becker
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000465:Algorithms; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D020817:Asperger Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D019958:Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008609:Mental Status Schedule / Q000592:standards; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D012372:ROC Curve; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity