ASRS^® Adult

There are two report types available for the ASRS Adult:

The Single-Rater Report provides information about the scores of the individual being evaluated, how they compare to other individuals of a similar age, and which scores (if any) are elevated compared to the normative sample.

The Datasets provide a spreadsheet of responses and scores from a single test administration and can facilitate further statistical analyses.

Reliability

Results from confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) provided evidence to support the internal structure of the ASRS Adult scales (2-factor model fit best; CFI ≥ .932, RMSEA ≤ .046). All factor loadings were positive and significant, with median values for Social/Communication and Unusual Behaviors of .587 and .719 for Self-Report, and .647 and .735 for Observer, respectively. Evidence for the relationships with other measures supported the convergence of the content measured by the ASRS Adult (correlations with other measures of ASD ranged from r = .58 to .87). The ASRS Adult demonstrates a high degree of criterion-related validity, as evidenced in the distinct score profiles between individuals in the general population and those with ASD diagnoses. For example, very large median effect sizes were observed: median Cohen's d = 1.49 for Self-Report (see Figure 1) and median Cohen's d = 1.27 for Observer. Additionally, ASRS Adult scores were able to correctly classify individuals into their respective groups—general population vs. ASD—with overall classification accuracy ranging from 75.4% to 82.8% across forms.

Validity

The ASRS Adult Self-Report and Observer scale scores demonstrate excellent internal consistency (median coefficient alpha = .88 for Self-Report and .91 for Observer) and strong test-retest reliability (median r = .79 for Self-Report and .82 for Observer). Inter-rater reliability is moderate to strong (median r = .65 and .69, depending on the type of rater), which is expected due to the differing perspectives and levels of insight among raters. Standard error of measurement (SEM) is low for all ASRS Adult T-scores (median SEM = 3.53 for Self-Report and 3.08 for Observer), indicating very little error in the estimated true scores and high precision. Similarly strong evidence of reliability was found for the ASRS Adult-Short.

Fairness

There is strong evidence that the ASRS Adult meets or exceeds the fairness requirements outlined in the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. When investigating differences by gender, race/ethnicity, and education levels, there was no evidence of meaningful differential test functioning between groups, and negligible to small differences in average observed scores between groups (median Cohen's d = |0.10| across raters and all group comparisons). The absence of statistical bias and the lack of meaningful group differences provides evidence for the generalizable and fair use and interpretation of the ASRS Adult scores.

A total of 2,000 individuals were included in the Normative Samples (N = 1,000 each for Self-Report and Observer) and served as the comparison point for the ASRS Adult scores. The ASRS Adult Self-Report and Observer Normative Samples were collected to match the demographic characteristics of the U.S. population. The target demographic characteristics of the samples were based on the 2023 American Community Survey. For each sample, the target demographic variables of age, gender, race/ethnicity, geographic region, education level, and clinical status (closely matching the prevalence rates in the DSM-5-TR) were collected using a stratified sampling plan to ensure that the Normative Sample represented the broader U.S. population. The overall proportions of the demographic variables within the ASRS Adult Normative Samples differ from the actual proportions in the U.S. population by less than 2%.