Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Validation of the Finnish Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) for Clinical Settings and Total Population Screening

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders Aims and scope Submit manuscript

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.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., Text Revision). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

  • Ehlers, S., & Gillberg, C. (1993). The epidemiology of Asperger syndrome. A total population study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 34(8), 1327–1350.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ehlers, S., Gillberg, C., & Wing, L. (1999). A screening questionnaire for Asperger syndrome and other high-functioning autism spectrum disorders in school age children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 29(2), 129–141.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fernell, E., & Gillberg, C. (2010). Autism spectrum disorder diagnoses in Stockholm preschoolers. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 31(3), 680–685.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fombonne, E. (2009). Epidemiology of pervasive developmental disorders. Pediatric Research, 65(6), 591–598.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goin-Kochel, R. P., Mackintosh, V. H., & Myers, B. J. (2006). How many doctors does it take to make an autism spectrum diagnosis? Autism, 10(5), 439–451.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Guo, Y. Q., Tang, Y., Rice, C., Lee, L. C., Wang, Y. F., & Cubells, J. F. (2011). Validation of the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire, Mandarin Chinese Version (CH-ASSQ) in Beijing, China. Autism, Jun 20. [Epub ahead of print].

  • Hogrefe psykologisk Forlag. Available at http://www.hogrefe.dk/; 2009.

  • Howlin, P., & Asgharian, A. (1999). The diagnosis of autism and Asperger syndrome: Findings from a survey of 770 families. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 41(12), 834–839.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kadesjö, B., Gillberg, C., & Hagberg, B. (1999). Brief report: autism and Asperger syndrome in seven year-old children: A total population study. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 29, 327–331.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kopp, S., & Gillberg, C. (2011). The Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ)-revised extended version (ASSQ-REV): An instrument for better capturing the autism phenotype in girls? A preliminary study involving 191 clinical cases and community controls. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 32(6), 2875–2888.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Korpilahti, P., Jansson-Verkasalo, E., Mattila, M. L., Kuusikko, S., Suominen, K., Rytky, S., et al. (2007). Processing of affective speech prosody is impaired in Asperger syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37(8), 1539–1549.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kuusikko, S., Haapsamo, H., Jansson-Verkasalo, E., Hurtig, T., Mattila, M. L., Ebeling, H., et al. (2009). Emotion recognition in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 39(6), 938–945.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kuusikko, S., Pollock-Wurman, R., Jussila, K., Carter, A. S., Mattila, M. L., Ebeling, H., et al. (2008). Social anxiety in high-functioning children and adolescents with Autism and Asperger syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38(9), 1697–1709.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lesinskiene, S. (2000). Vilniaus miesto vaiku autizmas, Vilniaus Universitetas, Daktaro disetacijos santrauka, Biomedicinos mokslai, medicina 07B, psichiatrija B650. Lithuania: Vilnius.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levy, S. E., Mandell, D. S., & Schultz, R. T. (2009). Autism. Lancet, 374(9701), 1627–1638.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lord, C., Rutter, M., DiLavore, P. C., & Risi, S. (2000). Autism diagnostic observation schedule. Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lord, C., Rutter, M., & Le Couteur, A. (1995). Autism diagnostic interview—Revised (3rd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loukusa, S., Leinonen, E., Kuusikko, S., Jussila, K., Mattila, M. L., Ryder, N., et al. (2007). Use of context in pragmatic language comprehension by children with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37(6), 1049–1059.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mattila, M. L., Hurtig, T., Haapsamo, H., Jussila, K., Kuusikko-Gauffin, S., Kielinen, M., et al. (2010). Comorbid psychiatric disorders associated with Asperger syndrome/high-functioning autism: A community- and clinic-based study. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 40(9), 1080–1093.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mattila, M. L., Jussila, K., Kuusikko, S., Kielinen, M., Linna, S. L., Ebeling, H., et al. (2009). When does the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) predict autism spectrum disorders in primary school-aged children? European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 18(8), 499–509.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mattila, M. L., Kielinen, M., Jussila, K., Linna, S. L., Bloigu, R., Ebeling, H., et al. (2007). An epidemiological and diagnostic study of Asperger syndrome according to four sets of diagnostic criteria. Journal of the American Academy Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 46(5), 636–646.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mattila, M. L., Kielinen, M., Linna, S. L., Jussila, K., Ebeling, H., Bloigu, R., et al. (2011). Autism spectrum disorders according to DSM-IV-TR and compared with DSM-V draft criteria: An epidemiological study. Journal of the American Academy Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 50(6), 583–592.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mulvihill, B. et al.; Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network Surveillance Year 2006 Principal Investigators; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2009). Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders - Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, United States, 2006. MMWR, 58(10), 1–20. Erratum in: MMWR, 59(30), 956 (2010).

  • Posserud, M. B., Lundervold, A. J., & Gillberg, C. (2006). Autistic features in a total population of 7–9-year-old children assessed by the ASSQ (Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire). Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47, 167–175.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Posserud, M. B., Lundervold, A. J., & Gillberg, C. (2009). Validation of the autism spectrum screening questionnaire in a total population sample. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 39(1), 126–134.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Posserud, B., Lundervold, A. J., Steijnen, M. C., Verhoeven, S., Stormark, K. M., & Gillberg, C. (2008). Factor analysis of the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire. Autism, 12(1), 99–112.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Statistics Finland Website. (2000). Available at http://www.stakes.fi/EN/index.htm.

  • Szatmari, P., Archer, L., Fisman, S., & Streiner, D. L. (1994). Parent and teacher agreement in the assessment of pervasive developmental disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 24(6), 703–717.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wechsler, D. (1991). Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 3rd edition (WISC-III). New York: Psychological Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiss, L. A., Arking, D. E., Daly, M. J., Chakravarti, A., & Gene Discovery Project of Johns Hopkins & the Autism Consortium. (2009). A genome-wide linkage and association scan reveals novel loci for autism. Nature, 461(7265), 802–808.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organisation. (1993). International classification of mental and behavioural disorders. Diagnostic criteria for research. Geneva: World Health Organization.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

For this study, we received financial support from Finland’s Slot Machine Association, awarded to the Finnish Association for Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome, and from the Eija and Veikko Lesonen Foundation, Oulu, Finland, awarded to the Child Psychiatric Research Foundation, Finland. We also received research grants from the Rinnekoti Research Foundation, Espoo, Finland (Mattila), the Alma and K. A. Snellman Foundation, Oulu, Finland (Mattila, Jussila, Kuusikko-Gauffin), the Child Psychiatric Research Foundation, Finland (Mattila, Kuusikko-Gauffin), the Child Psychiatric Research Foundation, Oulu Area, Finland (Mattila), and the Oulu Medical Research Foundation, Oulu, Finland (Mattila). The research was also supported by the Emil Aaltonen Foundation, Finland (Ebeling), the Thule Institute, University of Oulu, Finland (Moilanen), and the Jusélius Foundation, Finland (Moilanen). The Graduate School of Circumpolar Wellbeing, Health and Adaptation is acknowledged for their support. This study will be adapted into a dissertation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinic of Child Psychiatry, University and University Hospital of Oulu, P.O. Box 26, 90029, Oulu, Finland

    Marja-Leena Mattila, Katja Jussila, Sanna Kuusikko-Gauffin, Leena Joskitt, Hanna Ebeling, Tuula Hurtig & Irma Moilanen

  2. Institute of Health Sciences, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, 90014, Oulu, Finland

    Sirkka-Liisa Linna & Tuula Hurtig

  3. Department of Educational Sciences and Teacher Education, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 2000, 90014, Oulu, Finland

    Marko Kielinen

  4. Medical Informatics Group, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, 90014, Oulu, Finland

    Risto Bloigu

Authors
  1. Marja-Leena Mattila
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Katja Jussila
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sirkka-Liisa Linna
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Marko Kielinen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Risto Bloigu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Sanna Kuusikko-Gauffin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Leena Joskitt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Hanna Ebeling
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Tuula Hurtig
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Irma Moilanen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marja-Leena Mattila.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mattila, ML., Jussila, K., Linna, SL. et al. Validation of the Finnish Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) for Clinical Settings and Total Population Screening. J Autism Dev Disord 42, 2162–2180 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1464-5

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1464-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation