Development and Validation of the ACB
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Development and Validation of a questionnaire to assess mental health problems and concerning behaviours in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD): The Assessment of Concerning Behaviour Scale (ACB).
IRAS ID
166055
Contact name
Joanne Tarver
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 2 months, 1 days
Research summary
Mental Health issues and challenging behaviours are observed at a significantly higher frequency in individuals with ASD than in the typically developing population. Many NHS professionals lack confidence in the identification and evaluation of concerning emotions and behaviours in people with ASD. To the best of our knowledge, no single scale currently exists that is ASD sympathetic, includes self-report versions, and is able to screen for all emotional and behavioural issues in ASD individuals, along with their severity and any associated risk and protective factors. The aim of this study is to develop and evaluate a brief, clinically relevant instrument for children and adults with ASD, that will help to aid assessment, prioritize care and monitor symptoms of concerning behaviour and emotions during intervention.
Instrument Development Stage:
We will use focus groups, cognitive interviews, expert feedback and literature reviews to explore which concerning behaviours and emotions affect people with ASD and how these issues present in ASD. The participants will also be asked about how important they think items on the first draft of the questionnaire are, whether there are any missing items, and to identify any wording or comprehension issues which they feel need to be modified.Instrument Validation Stage:
The validation stage of this project will involve participants completing the questionnaire, at time one and again 4-6 months later, to establish its reliability, validity and clinical cut-offs.The measure will be named the Assessment of Concerning Behaviour (ACB) Scale. Self-report, parent/caregiver/relative/partner report, teacher/employer report and clinician report versions of the questionnaire will be created. The self-report measure will have two versions to cater for participant age and level of cognitive functioning. The aim is to make a questionnaire with approximately 40 questions, which should not take longer than 30 minutes to complete.
REC name
London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/0085
Date of REC Opinion
27 Feb 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion