Feasibility of psychosis risk assessment for individuals diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder: A cognitive explortation of item interpretation of the Structured Inteview for Psychosis-Risk Syndromes
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Date
2017-01-01
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Department
Psychology
Program
Psychology
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This item may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. It is made available by UMBC for non-commercial research and education. For permission to publish or reproduce, please see http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/specoll/repro.php or contact Special Collections at speccoll(at)umbc.edu
Distribution Rights granted to UMBC by the author.
Distribution Rights granted to UMBC by the author.
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Abstract
Poor functional outcomes of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) paired with high psychiatric comorbidity reflect a sobering picture for ASD intervention. Although rates of psychosis are reported to be elevated within autism, an accurate understanding as to how the two disorders overlap is difficult to assess, as core deficits of autism can sometimes be difficult to disentangle from psychotic symptoms. With a growing recognition that early intervention for psychosis leads to better outcomes, accurate assessment and identification of those at-risk for psychosis remains a significant clinical need, particularly when autism may impact diagnostic clarity. This study sought to evaluate the utility of a psychosis-risk instrument, the Structured Interview for Psychosis-Risk Syndromes (SIPS), for use with adolescents diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disabilities. The study employed a two-phase strategy, with Phase 1 eliciting feedback regarding the SIPS from experts in autism. Phase 2 involved conducting SIPS interviews using cognitive interviewing techniques with adolescents (12-18 years) diagnosed with high functioning autism, and typically developing youth with no history of autism who were not currently seeking mental health services. The current study sought to evaluate the feasibility, comprehensibility, and acceptability of the SIPS for assessment of psychosis risk within autism. Results from this study indicate that although adolescents with ASD did not have significantly greater difficulty answering questions about psychosis risk symptoms compared to adolescents without ASD, caution should be used in administering items that could potentially lead to a higher number of false positive responses given respondent interpretation errors of SIPS items.