The validity and reliability of the Wing Subgroups Questionnaire

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Special Education

Background:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) presents heterogeneous presentations.
• Subtyping children with autism may aid in tailored interventions.
• The Wing Subgroups Questionnaire (WSQ) is an assessment tool for autism subtyping.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the validity and reliability of the Wing Subgroups Questionnaire (WSQ).
• To assess the internal consistency and interrater reliability of the WSQ for autism subtypes.
• To determine if WSQ subtypes differ in behavioral and communication measures.

Main Methods:

• The study involved 42 students in special education classrooms.
• Internal consistency and interrater reliability of the WSQ were calculated.
• Correlations between scales and differences in behavioral measures across subtypes were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Items for active-but-odd and aloof subtypes, and typical development, showed good internal consistency.
• The passive subtype items demonstrated moderate internal consistency.
• Interrater reliability was good using intraclass correlations, but moderate for percentage agreement.
• Subtypes showed significant differences in communication, social interaction, stereotypic behavior, and aggression.

Conclusions:

• The WSQ demonstrates acceptable reliability for identifying autism subtypes, particularly active-but-odd and aloof.
• The passive subtype requires further investigation due to moderate consistency.
• The distinctness of WSQ subtypes is supported by their differential associations with various behavioral and communication measures.