Faculty, Staff and Student Publications
Publication Date
12-1-2024
Journal
Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders
DOI
10.1007/s41252-023-00371-0
PMID
41446826
PMCID
PMC12724530
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
12-24-2025
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Author MSS
Abstract
Objectives: The diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in adulthood is a growing area of research and practice as the number of adults seeking a first-time diagnosis has increased. Informants are often utilized to aid in the evaluation of ASD in childhood. Little is known regarding the convergence of self- and informant-report measures of ASD in adults and whether gender differences exist. We explored the convergence of self-report and informant ratings on two commonly used rating scales and a clinician observation measure for the diagnosis of ASD.
Methods: The present study explored the convergence of two commonly used measures (SRS-2 & AQ) and a clinician observation measure for the diagnosis of ASD in adulthood 155 pairs of adults (41.3% female; mean age = 33.19, SD = 11.46) and their informants (total sample, n = 310).
Results: Overall, self-report AQ and SRS-2 scores were significantly higher than informants. Gender was the most important predictor of poor convergence on AQ and SRS-2, with informants of females reporting significantly fewer ASD symptoms compared to males with a first-time diagnosis of ASD in adulthood. Informant report also did not significantly predict key functional outcomes (i.e., employment, living situation) over and above self-report alone. The present study also found no significant differences in measures regardless of the informant utilized (e.g., parents, spouses).
Conclusions: Gender is an important factor in the assessment of ASD in adulthood. Thus, practitioners assessing female adults ought to interpret discrepant informant-report results with caution. Researchers ought to continue to examine how ASD measures perform for females and ensure they are normed appropriately with females and males. A wider variety of informants such as a sibling or a friend may be appropriate if a parent or spouse is unavailable.
Keywords
Autism in adulthood, Assessment, Informants, Measurement, Self-report, Females
Published Open-Access
yes
Recommended Citation
Pagán, Antonio F; Izuno-Garcia, Amy K; Hughes, Killian R; et al., "Self- and Informant Report in a First-Time Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Adulthood: the Role of Females" (2024). Faculty, Staff and Student Publications. 4410.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/uthmed_docs/4410