Factor Structure of Symptoms in Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Comparison of DSM-IV, DSM-5, and Other Competing Models

• Other Authors: Guthrie, Whitney (authoraut)
• Format: Others
• Language: English; English
• Published: Florida State University
• Subjects: Psychology; Neurosciences
• Online Access: http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-4882

Examination of the structure of autism symptoms is critical to understanding of the phenotype and is particularly timely given changes proposed for the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5; http://www.dsm5.org). Factor structure has been rarely studied in toddlers, although this developmental period represents the earliest manifestations of autism symptoms. The present study examined factor structure in a sample of toddlers between 12 and 30 months (M=20.37, SD=3.32) diagnosed with ASD and drawn from a community-based screening study and children referred for evaluation (N=237). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were conducted comparing the relative fit of four previously proposed models: DSM-5, DSM-IV, one-factor, and alterative three-factor model proposed by van Lang. Results indicated that the DSM-5 provided the best fit to the data with all measures indicating good fit. Indictors for the CFAs, drawn from the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule - Toddler Module, loaded strongly onto the latent factors, supporting the re-organization of symptoms proposed for DSM-5. Together, results indicate that autism symptoms are fractionable and best reduced into the two-factor structure proposed for DSM-5. Consistency of the present results in toddlers with previous studies in older children and adults suggests that the structure of autism symptoms may be similar throughout development. Implications for early screening and diagnosis, and developmental trajectories are discussed. === A Thesis submitted to the Department of Psychology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. === Summer Semester, 2012. === July 2, 2012. === autism spectrum disorder, confirmatory factor analysis, DSM-5, phenotype, toddlers === Includes bibliographical references. === Amy Wetherby, Professor Directing Thesis; Chris Schatschneider, Committee Member; Janet Kistner, Committee Member.