Psychometric Investigation of Preliminary Item-Set for the Self-Assessment of Autistic Traits

Background: This study presents the preliminary psychometrics of the Self-Assessment of Autistic Traits (SAAT) item pool, which is the first comprehensive self-report tool of autism traits for teens and adults coproduced with autistic people. Two autistic researchers led the SAAT item development and leveraged descriptions of autism by autistic people to generate items designed to encompass the internal experience of autism using strength-based accessible language. Methods: Autistic ( N = 500) and non-autistic ( n = 80) people, 16 years or older, completed the SAAT. The sample included community-ascertained autistic adult participants, as well as participants from a large academic medical center-based research network, which broadened the spectrum of participants studied to include more gender-diverse, older, and nonspeaking individuals. Results: Exploratory factor analysis followed by a unidimensional confirmatory factor analysis revealed four factors as follows: Modulation/Social Communication, Strengths/Passions, Brain–Body Disconnect, and Negative Community Context. Three of these factors are sensitive to autism in comparison with non-autistic people across age, gender identity, assigned gender at birth, and gender diversity status. Discussion: The SAAT shows promise as a multidimensional self-report tool that is reliable and valid with respect to the samples that we examined. The SAAT item-set may yield a useful screening tool for people of different gender identities, assigned gender at birth, and gender diversity status, from 16 years old through adulthood, who are questioning whether they may be autistic. In addition, it has potential as a phenotyping tool that captures individual strengths as well as challenges and could provide information that helps guide the creation of opportunities and supports that enable autistic people to thrive. Given the preliminary nature of the current study, a cross-validation study with respect to larger and diverse groups of the sample is the necessary next step to further develop and refine the set of items as a useful tool.