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Validation of the repetitive and restricted behaviour scale in autism spectrum disorders

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Abstract

Repetitive and restricted behaviours represent a common problem for various psychiatric syndromes, especially in autistic spectrum disorders, and they include a wide range of heterogeneous behavioural manifestations. An accurate and standardized description of these behaviours is needed to advance the understanding of this complex and heterogeneous clinical dimension of autism. The present article reports the reliability and validity studies of a new assessment scale: the repetitive and restricted behaviour scale. 145 subjects with autism spectrum disorders were assessed using the RRB scale. The RRB scale has good interrater reliability, internal consistency and content validity. Factorial analysis produced four clinically meaningful factors, i.e. “sensorimotor stereotypies”, “reaction to change”, “restricted behaviours” and “modulation insufficiency”. The RRB scale has good psychometric qualities and constitutes a real breakthrough towards a neurofunctional approach to autistic disorders. It should be valuable for research and treatment, and in clinical practice.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by grants from the Foundation Orange. We thank the centres, raters and individuals that participated in the study: FAM les Maisonnées, Azay Le Rideau, France; Cabinet de Psychologie ESPAS, IDDEES, Paris, France; IME les Tilleuls, ADAPEI, Tours, France; Centre Hélio Marin, Saint Trojan les Bains, France; Hôpital de jour, Chevilly Larue, France; CIERA, Brest, France; CADIPA, Saint Egrève, France; CRA Basse Normandie, Caen, France; CRA Aquitaine, Bordeaux, France; Hôpital de jour Santos Dumont, Paris, France; CHS St-Jean-de-Dieu, Lyon, France; HUDERF, Bruxelles, Belgique; Centre de pédopsychiatrie, CHRU de Tours, France. We thank Rémy Magné for technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UMRS Inserm U930, CNRS ERL3106, Université François Rabelais de Tours, CHRU de Tours, Tours, France

    Yannig Bourreau, Sylvie Roux, Marie Gomot, Frédérique Bonnet-Brilhault & Catherine Barthélémy

  2. Laboratoire d’Explorations Fonctionnelles et Neurophysiologie en Pédopsychiatrie, CHRU de Tours, 37044, Tours cedex 09, France

    Sylvie Roux

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  1. Yannig Bourreau
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  5. Catherine Barthélémy
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Correspondence to Sylvie Roux.

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Bourreau, Y., Roux, S., Gomot, M. et al. Validation of the repetitive and restricted behaviour scale in autism spectrum disorders. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 18, 675–682 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-009-0028-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-009-0028-5

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