Screening children and adolescents with mild to moderate intellectual disability for autistic symptoms with the...

Intellectual disability (ID) is frequently associated with autistic symptoms. Considering the prevalence of ID and the large numbers involved, a simple easy-to-use screening instrument is required. The present study aimed to screen a group of children with ID using the Indian Autism Screening Questionnaire (IASQ), a screening instrument for identifying autism in the general population but not tested among children with ID.

To screen for the presence and prevalence of autistic symptoms among Indian children with ID and to evaluate IASQ scale properties in this group.

In a cross-sectional observational study, 120 children/adolescents between the ages of 3 and 18 (both genders) with mild to moderate ID were assessed using the Vineland Social Maturity Scale for Social Quotient, IASQ, and the Indian Scale for Assessment of Autism (ISAA).

Using the ISAA, 37.2% of children with mild ID (mild symptoms 27, moderate 5) and 52.9% with moderate ID (mild 16, moderate 2) reported autistic symptoms. The sensitivity and specificity for IASQ against the ISAA were acceptable - high sensitivity at cutoffs 1 to 5 and high specificity at cutoffs 4 and 5.

The IASQ can be used for screening for autistic symptoms among children with mild or moderate ID at cutoff 1, while the specificity is high at cutoff 4. Autistic features were reported among 1/3^rd and 1/2^nd of children with mild and moderate ID, respectively.