Challenges in assessing change in autistic adults: scale limitations and discrepancies in reporting in clinical trials.
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| Title: | Challenges in assessing change in autistic adults: scale limitations and discrepancies in reporting in clinical trials. |
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| Authors: | Racine, Emma, Taylor, Bonnie P., Ferretti, Casara J., Doernberg, Ellen, Noone, Rachel, Nezgovorova, Vera, Vats, Tarini, Hollander, Eric |
| Source: | International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice. Mar2022, Vol. 26 Issue 1, p3-7. 5p. |
| Subjects: | Treatment of autism, Medical quality control, Clinical trials, Clinical medicine research, Health outcome assessment, Case studies, Communication, Patient-professional relations, Adults |
| Abstract: | Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder marked by deficits in social communication and social interaction, together with restricted and/or repetitive patterns of behaviours, activities or interests. As more adults are being diagnosed with ASD, and more diagnosed children are aging into adulthood, the need for effective treatments and support services for autistic adults is quickly growing. As such, clinical research targeting autistic adults has emerged in recent years. Currently, caregiver ratings are commonly used as outcome measures in child treatment studies, but these scales present challenges when utilised to assess the autistic adult population. In this commentary, we seek to unveil the difficulties and obstacles in assessing change in clinical treatment trials for autistic adults. Specifically, this article uses case examples to explore the limitations of rating scales. Steps for improving the accuracy of ratings, and for developing novel self-rating scales for autistic adults are discussed. It is hoped that in exploring these difficulties in more depth, clinical research with adult ASD populations will continue to improve and that reliable, valid and sensitive outcome measures will be developed to ensure the highest quality treatments emerge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder marked by deficits in social communication and social interaction, together with restricted and/or repetitive patterns of behaviours, activities or interests. As more adults are being diagnosed with ASD, and more diagnosed children are aging into adulthood, the need for effective treatments and support services for autistic adults is quickly growing. As such, clinical research targeting autistic adults has emerged in recent years. Currently, caregiver ratings are commonly used as outcome measures in child treatment studies, but these scales present challenges when utilised to assess the autistic adult population. In this commentary, we seek to unveil the difficulties and obstacles in assessing change in clinical treatment trials for autistic adults. Specifically, this article uses case examples to explore the limitations of rating scales. Steps for improving the accuracy of ratings, and for developing novel self-rating scales for autistic adults are discussed. It is hoped that in exploring these difficulties in more depth, clinical research with adult ASD populations will continue to improve and that reliable, valid and sensitive outcome measures will be developed to ensure the highest quality treatments emerge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 13651501 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/13651501.2021.1900871 |
