The Autism-Tics, ADHD and other Comorbidities inventory (A-TAC): previous and predictive validity

Area of Science:

• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Psychometric Validation

Background:

• Screening tools for neurodevelopmental disorders are limited.
• The Autism-Tics, AD/HD and other Comorbidities inventory (A-TAC) has shown prior validation.
• This study expands A-TAC validation to more conditions in a larger sample.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the Autism-Tics, AD/HD and other Comorbidities inventory (A-TAC) in a larger Swedish population.
• To assess the predictive and concurrent validity of A-TAC for various neurodevelopmental disorders.
• To compare A-TAC diagnoses with Swedish National Patient Register (NPR) data.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden (CATSS) involving 9-year-old twins.
• Linked CATSS data with the Swedish National Patient Register (NPR) for diagnostic comparison.
• Analyzed A-TAC screening data against clinical diagnoses recorded in the NPR before and after the A-TAC interview.

Main Results:

• A-TAC demonstrated good-to-excellent sensitivity and specificity for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disorder (LD), and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD).
• Area under the curve values for ASD, ADHD, LD, and ODD were high (.98, .93, .92, and .99, respectively).
• A-TAC showed limited validity for screening eating disorders.

Conclusions:

• The Autism-Tics, AD/HD and other Comorbidities inventory (A-TAC) is a robust screening tool for ASD, ADHD, LD, and ODD in 9- and 12-year-olds.
• A-TAC provides valuable phenotypic information for multiple child psychiatric disorders.
• The findings support A-TAC's utility as a broad-ranging screening instrument.