Reliability and validity of the Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale modified for autism spectrum disorder

Many youth with autism spectrum disorder have anxiety, but it can be difficult to assess anxiety with existing measures. We modified the Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale for youth with autism spectrum disorder and tested the new measure in a group of 116 youth (age: 5-17 years) with autism spectrum disorder. The Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale for youth with autism spectrum disorder is an interview that a clinician usually completes with the child and parent together. We modified the interview questions and scoring instructions based on feedback from parents of children with autism spectrum disorder and from a panel of experts in autism spectrum disorder and anxiety. Unlike many other anxiety measures, the Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale for youth with autism spectrum disorder relies less on a child's verbal expression of anxiety and more on signs that a parent can easily observe. Training clinicians to administer and score the Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale for youth with autism spectrum disorder was uncomplicated, and raters showed excellent agreement on video-recorded interviews. Youth who were not currently in treatment for anxiety had stable Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale for youth with autism spectrum disorder scores with repeat measurement over a 1-month period. The Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale for youth with autism spectrum disorder is a useful clinician-rated measure of anxiety in youth with autism spectrum disorder and fills a gap for assessing anxiety in this population.