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Brief Report: “Quick and (not so) Dirty” Assessment of Change in Autism: Cross-Cultural Reliability of the Developmental Disabilities CGAS and the OSU Autism CGI

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Abstract

There are few evaluated economic tools to assess change in autism. This study examined the inter-rater reliability of the Developmental Disabilities Children’s Global Assessment Scale (DD-CGAS), and the OSU Autism Clinical Global Impression (OSU Autism CGI) in a European setting. Using these scales, 16 clinicians with multidisciplinary background and varying experience independently rated eight vignettes of autism spectrum disorder for severity and general psychosocial functioning at referral and discharge. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICCs) for experienced clinicians were .75 for the DD-CGAS and .72 for the OSU Autism CGI. In inexperienced clinicians these ICCs were .58 and .59. Results confirm previous North American studies, and further extents the reliability of the instruments to untrained, less experienced clinicians with different professions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pediatric Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, CAP Research Center, Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Karolinska Institutet, Gävlegatan 22, 11330, Stockholm, Sweden

    Nora Choque Olsson & Sven Bölte

  2. Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Stockholm County Council, Stockholm, Sweden

    Nora Choque Olsson & Sven Bölte

Authors
  1. Nora Choque Olsson
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  2. Sven Bölte
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sven Bölte.

Additional information

We sincerely thank the clinicians who participated in this study, as well as Stephanie Hansson for her support in the creation of vignettes. Sven Bölte was supported by the Swedish Research Council (Grant No. 523-2009-7054). Nora Choque Olsson and the current study were supported by Stiftelsen Sunnerdahls Handikappfond, Majblomman, Sällskapet Barnavård, and the Stockholm County Council.

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Choque Olsson, N., Bölte, S. Brief Report: “Quick and (not so) Dirty” Assessment of Change in Autism: Cross-Cultural Reliability of the Developmental Disabilities CGAS and the OSU Autism CGI. J Autism Dev Disord 44, 1773–1778 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-013-2029-y

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