Screening for autism spectrum disorder in children with Down syndrome: An evaluation of the Pervasive Developmental Disorder in Mental Retardation Scale

ABSTRACT

Background Children with Down syndrome (DS) are at risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). They are often diagnosed later than other children in part due to difficulty differentiating ASD-related impairment from that associated with DS. The psychometric properties of the Pervasive Developmental Disorder in Mental Retardation Scale (PDD-MRS) were examined with the aim of informing ASD screening guidelines for children with DS.

Method Analysis of archival data from children aged 3 to 15 years with DS (N = 386) evaluated the reliability and validity of the PDD-MRS.

Results Factor analyses yielded 2 factor-based scales: ASD and Emotional and Behavioural Problems. ASD reliably assessed ASD-specific symptoms, correlated with other ASD measures, and demonstrated good diagnostic accuracy. Emotional and Behavioural Problems assessed problems not diagnostic of ASD but may reflect part of the behavioural phenotype of DS and ASD.

Conclusion The PDD-MRS appears to have utility in ASD screening for this population.

KEYWORDS:

• autism
• ASD
• Down syndrome
• PDD-MRS
• assessment

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the parent/child evaluation team and the parents and children who participated in the study at the University of Rochester Medical Centre.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the AUCD under Grant RTO1 2005-1/2-08.