The autism diagnostic observation schedule: Patterns in individuals with anorexia nervosa. (29th July 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bentz, Mette; Westwood, Heather; Jepsen, Jens Richardt Møllegaard; Plessen, Kerstin Jessica; Tchanturia, Kate
• Is Part Of: European eating disorders review. Volume 28:Number 5(2020)
• Page Start: 571
• Page End: 579
• Publication Date: 2020-07-29
• Subjects: anorexia nervosa -- autism spectrum disorder -- psychometrics -- social functioning; Eating disorders -- Periodicals; 616.8526
• DOI: 10.1002/erv.2757
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1072-4133

Abstract

Abstract: Objective: Studies have used the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (the ADOS‐2) in individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN), but the patterns of scores have not been assessed. We examined which subset of the ADOS‐2 items best discriminate individuals with AN from healthy controls (HC), and assessed the potential clustering of AN participants based on different profiles of the ADOS‐2 item scores. Method: We combined datasets from two previous studies, and (a) compared mean ranks between young AN participants ( N = 118) and HC ( N = 42), (ii) replicated the item selection procedure of the existing ADOS‐2 algorithm to assess sensitivity of items in the AN group, and (c) applied a two‐step clustering analysis in the AN group ( N = 149). Results: AN participants displayed significantly higher mean ranks than HC participants in five of 32 items. All five items are part of the existing ADOS‐2 algorithm. We found two clusters of AN participants; one representing normal social behaviour, comprising 68% of the individuals with AN, and one representing less efficient social behaviour, comprising 32% of individuals with AN. Conclusions: The items comprising the social affective cluster of the existing ADOS‐2 algorithm are well suited to assess difficulties with social functioning in individuals with AN.