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Cited by 307Autism Spectrum Disorder ResearchChild Nutrition and Feeding IssuesChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development

Autistic features in a total population of 7–9-year-old children assessed by the ASSQ (Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire)

Posserud, Maj‐Britt, Lundervold, Astri J., Gillberg, Christopher·2006·Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
DOI 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2005.01462.x
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Abstract

Background: The prevalence of autism is reported to be on the rise worldwide. Change of diagnostic criteria and a broadening of the concept of autism have been mentioned as contributing factors. Further studies of general populations are needed. The present study assessed the distribution of autistic features in a total population of children 7–9 years of age, and explored the impact of age, gender, informant, and participation bias on symptom report. Methods: Teacher and parent forms of the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) were used in the ‘Bergen Child Study’, a total population study of 9430 children aged 7–9 years. Completed teacher forms were returned for 97% and parent forms for 71% of the children. High‐scorers were defined according to the ASSQ validation study by . Results: The distribution of ASSQ scores was found to be almost continuous. Of the children with both a teacher and a parent form, 2.1% were defined as high‐scorers. Children without parent informed consent (i.e., anonymous children) obtained significantly higher teacher scores than those who had questionnaires completed by both parent and teacher. Adjusting prevalence for the anonymous children, the prevalence of high‐scorers was 2.7% of the total population. Age did not affect symptom scores. Boys scored higher and parents reported more symptoms, particularly in girls. Agreement between informants was low to moderate. Conclusions: Autism symptoms are not uncommon in the general population of children. Our findings are consistent with the concept of autism as a spectrum. Non‐responders had a higher load of autism symptoms than identified children, indicating that reports on the prevalence of autism in a responder group underestimate true prevalence. Large differences across informants suggested the need to gather information both from families and from schools when screening for autism spectrum disorders.

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  • Studies using questionnaire measures of autistic traits show a continuous distribution of scores, supporting the concept of a spectrum extending into the general population.

    “Studies using questionnaire measures of autistic traits (e.g., the Quantitative Checklist for Autism in Toddlers [Q-CHAT] [21], the Childhood Autism Spectrum Test [CAST] [22], and the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire [ASSQ] [23]) show a continuous distribution of scores, supporting the concept of a spectrum extending into the general population.”

    From Subgrouping the Autism Spectrum: Reflections on DSM-5 (2013) · cites this paper as [23]

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Authors
Posserud, M., Lundervold, A. J., & Gillberg, C.
Affiliations
  • University of Bergen (NO)
  • St George's, University of London (GB)
Corresponding author
Posserud, Maj‐Britt
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2005-06-24
Volume
47
Issue
2
Pages
167-175
ISSN
  • 0021-9630 (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-7610
DOI
10.1111/j.1469-7610.2005.01462.x
OpenAlex
W2026535797
Cited by
307
References
5
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 25 · 2013: 21 · 2012: 18
FWCI
6.12
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations
  • Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Universitetet i Bergen
  • Helsedirektoratet
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
Keywords
autism spectrum disorder, autism prevalence, autistic traits, children aged 7-9 years, parent and teacher ratings, informant agreement, participation bias, non-responders
MeSH terms
Age Factors, Autistic Disorder, Child, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Mass Screening, Norway, Personality Assessment, Prospective Studies, Psychometrics, Surveys and Questionnaires, Sex Factors, Reproducibility of Results, Observer Variation, Comorbidity

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