ASDS: Asperger's Syndrome Diagnostic Scale

Ages: 5 through 18
Testing time: 10 to 15 minutes
Administration: individual

Diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome is difficult because the characteristics of the disorder often resemble those of autism, behavior disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and learning disabilities. The ASDS allows differentiating Asperger Syndrome from autism, ADD, learning disabilities and other disorders and determine the likelihood that a child or adolescent has Asperger Syndrome.

This instrument provides an AS Quotient that reveals the likelihood that an individual has Asperger Syndrome. The 50 items that constitute the ASDS were drawn from five specific areas of behavior: cognitive, maladaptive, language, social, and sensorimotor. Anyone who knows the child or youth well can complete this scale. Parents, teachers, siblings, paraeducators, speech­language pathologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and other professionals can answer the 50 yes/no items in 10 to 15 minutes.

The first test of its kind, the ASDS was normed on 115 persons with Asperger Syndrome from across the United States. The sample ranged in age from 5 to 18. The ASDS meets reliability and validity criteria established by the professional assessment community. Therefore, by comparing an individual¹s score with the normative sample, an examiner can establish the probability that the individual has Asperger Syndrome. Low AS Quotients are indicative of persons with little or no known pathology, whereas higher scores are increasingly more indicative of Asperger Syndrome.

All items included in the ASDS represent behaviors that are symptomatic of Asperger Syndrome, and all are summed to produce the total score. The scores from the five subtests present the examiner with information of clinical interest regarding an individual¹s performance in comparison to that of others with Asperger Syndrome. The total score has strong diagnostic value in identifying individuals with Asperger Syndrome and is the only score to be used when determining the likelihood of Asperger Syndrome. This contributes greatly to ease of administration and cuts down on otherwise time-consuming testing procedures.

Can be used with confidence to (a) identify persons who have Asperger Syndrome, (b) document behavioral progress as a consequence of special intervention programs, (c) target goals for change and intervention on the student's Individualized Education Program (IEP), and (d) measure Asperger Syndrome for research purposes. Because the ASDS is based on observations, the test results are valid only when the rater knows the examinee well; that is, the examiner has had regular, sustained contact with the examinee for at least 2 weeks.

Raw scores are converted to percentile and standard scores. These scores are the most important information associated with an individual's ASDS performance, and analysis of them, augmented by additional test information, direct information of behavior, and knowledge acquired from other sources, will result in proper diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome.

Complete Kit includes: Examiner's Manual and 50 Summary/Response Forms, all in a sturdy storage box.