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Development and validation of the AIDA scale: Anxiety in people with autism and intellectual disability assessment
Carmen Nieto1, Helena Gandía-Abellán2, Miguel A Sorrel3
1Department of Basic Psychology, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid Spain.
Background:
Minimally verbal autistic people with intellectual disabilities are at risk of anxiety, yet remain underrepresented in research due to the lack of tools adapted to their functional profiles. This study aimed to develop and validate the AIDA Scale: Anxiety in People with Autism and Intellectual Disability Assessment.
Method:
A total of 247 participants (133 parents; 114 professionals) contributed across three phases: indicator identification, pilot study, and validation.
Results:
Evidence of reliability (internal consistency and omega coefficient) and validity was gathered, including examination of the scale's dimensionality (parallel analysis, model fit indices, and factor loadings inspection) and its relationship with other variables. Findings support the use of a single total score encompassing general behaviour and behavioural change indicators.
Conclusion:
The AIDA Scale is an effective tool for assessing anxiety symptoms in this population. Meeting these needs is critical for improving emotional wellbeing and ensuring people' rights to appropriate emotional care.
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