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The French Version of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient in Adolescents: A Cross-Cultural Validation Study

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Abstract

We assessed the accuracy of the French version of the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) in adolescents with Asperger syndrome (AS) and high-functioning autism (HFA) compared to healthy controls and adolescents with psychiatric disorders (PDs). Three groups of adolescents, aged 11–18, were assessed: 116 with AS/HFA (93 with IQ ≥ 85 and 20 with 70 ≤ IQ < 85), 39 with other PDs, and 199 healthy controls. The AS/HFA group scored significantly higher than the healthy control and PD groups. A cut-off score of 26 was used to differentiate the autism group from healthy controls with 0.89 sensitivity and 0.98 specificity. Scores did not vary by age or sex.

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Abbreviations

ANCRA:

Association Nationale des Centres de Ressources Autisme

ANOVA:

Analysis of variance

AQ:

Autism Spectrum Quotient

AS:

Asperger syndrome

ASD:

Autism spectrum disorder

FRAPA:

Fédération Rhône-Alpes de Pédiatrie Ambulatoire

HFA:

High-functioning autism

ICD:

International classification of diseases

IQ:

Intelligence quotient

OCD:

Obsessive compulsive disorder

PD:

Psychiatric disorder

PDD-NOS:

Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified

ROC:

Receiver-operating characteristic

SD:

Standard deviation

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Association Nationale des Centres de Ressources Autisme (ANCRA) and all of the Autism Resource Centers that helped recruit patients for this study. We would also like to thank Kent Neal (supported by the French Cochrane Center) for proofreading and editing the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre de Ressource Autisme Rhône-Alpes, Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, bât.211, INSERM U1028-CNRS UMR 5292, 95 boulevard Pinel, 69677, Bron cedex, France

    Sandrine Sonié, Elodie Pirat & Sabine Manificat

  2. INSERM, CIC201, EPICIME, RIPPS, 69000, Lyon, France

    Behrouz Kassai & Elodie Pirat

  3. CHU Lyon, Service de Pharmacologie Clinique, 69000, Lyon, France

    Behrouz Kassai & Elodie Pirat

  4. UMR 5558, University of Lyon, 69000, Lyon, France

    Behrouz Kassai & Elodie Pirat

  5. 17 Wimpole Street, London, W1G 8GB, UK

    Paul Bain

  6. CLASS (Cambridge Lifespan Asperger Syndrome Service), Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK

    Janine Robinson

  7. Centre de Pédopsychiatrie, UMR 930 INSERM, Université François Rabelais de Tours, CHU Bretonneau, 2bd Tonnellé, 37044, Tours, France

    Marie Gomot & Catherine Barthélémy

  8. Unité Ulysse pour adolescents, Centre Hospitalier Saint Jean de Dieu, Lyon, France

    Dorothée Charvet

  9. Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, Service FLAVIGNY d’hospitalisation pour adolescents, Bron, France

    Thierry Rochet & Mohamed Tatou

  10. Centre Alpin de Diagnostic Précoce de l’Autisme, Centre Hospitalier Alpes-Isère, Saint-Egrève, France

    Brigitte Assouline

  11. Centre d’Evaluation Savoyard de l’Autisme, Chambéry, France

    Stéphane Cabrol

  12. Hôpital Robert Debré, Paris, France

    Nadia Chabane

  13. Psychiatrie infanto-juvénile, Centre Hospitalier Saint-Jean-de-Dieu, Lyon, France

    Valérie Arnaud & Sabine Manificat

  14. METEORE, Service de Bio-Statistique, Groupe français d’Epidémiologie psychiatrique, Centre Hospitalier Saint Jean de Dieu, Lyon, France

    Patricia Faure

Authors
  1. Sandrine Sonié
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  2. Behrouz Kassai
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  3. Elodie Pirat
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  4. Paul Bain
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  5. Janine Robinson
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  6. Marie Gomot
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  7. Catherine Barthélémy
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  8. Dorothée Charvet
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  9. Thierry Rochet
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  10. Mohamed Tatou
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  11. Brigitte Assouline
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  12. Stéphane Cabrol
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  13. Nadia Chabane
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  14. Valérie Arnaud
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  15. Patricia Faure
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  16. Sabine Manificat
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sandrine Sonié.

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Sonié, S., Kassai, B., Pirat, E. et al. The French Version of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient in Adolescents: A Cross-Cultural Validation Study. J Autism Dev Disord 43, 1178–1183 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1663-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1663-0

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