{
  "abstract": "Background: Selecting an appropriate questionnaire to measure autistic traits in children for research or clinical practice requires considering several factors. These include the validity of the questionnaire’s structure, the questionnaire’s sensitivity and specificity, the extent to which autistic traits are represented (e.g., whether all diagnostic sub-criteria are adequately represented), the clarity and respectfulness of item wording, and inclusive research practices used during questionnaire development. To provide clinicians and researchers information on the most sensitive, specific, and contemporary measures for identifying and assessing autistic traits, we conducted a review of existing caregiver-report questionnaires for measuring autistic traits in children aged 4-12 years. Method: Ten questionnaires were identified for inclusion. For each included questionnaire, targeted searches were conducted in the form of forward citation searches to identify peer-reviewed studies reporting on the instrument’s development or subsequent psychometric evaluation (factor or component analysis, sensitivity, specificity). Results: Overall, there was marked variability in the extent to which questionnaires assess autistic traits across diagnostic sub-criteria, as well as in their sensitivity and specificity for differentiating autism from various other groups. Several questionnaires lacked psychometric support for their proposed structure. Respectfulness and clarity of item wording could be improved in most questionnaires. Autism community input during questionnaire development was typically limited or absent. Of note, the recently developed Autism Symptom Dimensions Questionnaire stood out as a promising freely available measure. Discussion: Developers of new questionnaires should use inclusive research practices, write items using clear and respectful language, ensure adequate psychometric properties, and aim to include items from all diagnostic sub-criteria.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Georgia Horsburgh"
    },
    {
      "name": "Iliana Magiati"
    },
    {
      "name": "Murray Maybery"
    },
    {
      "name": "Lauren J Taylor"
    },
    {
      "name": "Serena J Cribb"
    },
    {
      "name": "Michael English"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cszsqgr3w7kza.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.31234/osf.io/na3e9_v1",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "cszsqgr3w7kza",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/na3e9_v1/",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "bepress",
      "Assessment"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Clinical Child Psychology"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Clinical Psychology"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Neurodevelopmental Disorders"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Psychometrics"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Quantitative Methods"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Social and Behavioral Sciences"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2805|Autism Spectrum Disorder Research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223208835",
  "pdf_url": "https://osf.io/na3e9/download",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-22",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cszsqgr3w7kza.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:40Z",
      "native_id": "na3e9",
      "source": "osf",
      "url": "https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/na3e9_v1/"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "bepress:Clinical Psychology",
      "subfield": "psychiatry"
    }
  ],
  "title": "A Critical Review of Caregiver Report Measures of Autistic Traits in Children (4 to 12 years): Considerations for Research and Clinical Practice",
  "title_text": "A Critical Review of Caregiver Report Measures of Autistic Traits in Children (4 to 12 years): Considerations for Research and Clinical Practice",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:19:40Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cszsqgr3w7kza",
  "venue": "PsyArXiv",
  "versions": []
}