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Abstract
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Aim:
The 10-item Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ-10) is a self-report questionnaire used in clinical and research settings as a diagnostic screening tool for autism in adults. The objective of the study was to evaluate the factor structure, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability of the AQ-10 Turkish version.
Method:
Participants (n = 373) were parents of children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. They were invited to fill-out the AQ-10. AQ-10 is a self-report questionnaire. Only one point can be scored for each questions. If the score is six or above, an autism assessment schould be considered. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was used for the construct validity of the AQ-10, and Cronbach's alpha was used for reliability.
Results and Discussion:
The mean age of the sample was 38.4 ± 5.9. Fathers had higher in total score than mothers, but this was not significant (3.37 vs. 3.14).11.7% of the sample (n=44) scored 6 or higher. The result of the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) test in the study was found to be 0.658. The Bartlett test revealed (χ²(45) = 287.420; p < 0.05). It was determined that the 10-item AQ consists of 3 sub-dimensions, and these factors explain 46.723% of the total variance. The factor loadings range from 0.403 to 0.644. Analysis revealed that AQ-10 had poor internal consistency (Cronbach alfa=0.414). We evaluated the test-retest reliability in 71 participants and found it to be poor (r=.0.539). These results suggest that the AQ is valid within acceptable limits, but has low reliability. This suggests that the AQ-10 may not be a psychometrically robust measure of autism.
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