Conceptualization of the latent structure of autism: further evidence and discussion of dimensional and hybrid models.

ABSTRACT: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) might be conceptualized as an essentially dimensional, categorical, or hybrid model. Yet, current empirical studies are inconclusive and the latent structure of ASD has explicitly been examined only in a few studies. The aim of our study was to identify and discuss the latent model structure of behavioral symptoms related to ASD and to address the question of whether categories and/or dimensions best represent ASD symptoms. We included data of 2920 participants (1-72 years of age), evaluated with the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (Modules 1-4). We applied latent class analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and factor mixture modeling and evaluated the model fit by a combination of criteria. Based on the model selection criteria, the model fits, the

SUBMITTER: Wittkopf S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10576682 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature