Overall three question naires were found robust in their measurement properties , the Spence Children 's Anxiety Scale , its revised version - the Revised Children 's Anxiety and Depression Scale , and also the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders .
Crucially the articles on measurement properties provided almost no evidence on responsiveness to change , nor on the validity of use of the tools for evaluation of interventions for children with ASD .
BACKGROUND Evidence about relevant outcomes is required in the evaluation of clinical interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders ( ASD ) .
However , to date , the variety of outcome measurement tools being used , and lack of knowledge about the measurement properties of some , compromise conclusions regarding the most effective interventions .
OBJECTIVES This two-stage systematic review aim ed to identify the tools used in studies evaluating interventions for anxiety for high-functioning children with ASD in middle childhood , and then to evaluate the tools for their appropriateness and measurement properties .
Test-retest reliability of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children.
We examined the test-retest reliability of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children ( MASC ) in a school-based sample of children and adolescents . One classroom at each grade from 3 to 12 was r and omly selected to participate . Teachers were trained to administer the MASC at baseline and again 3 weeks later . The intraclass correlation coefficient ( ICC ) was used to estimate stability of the MASC over time . For both single case and mean ICCs , the MASC exhibited satisfactory to excellent stability across all factors and subfactors . Stability was unaffected by age or gender , but was lower for African American than Caucasian subjects . Satisfactory test-retest reliability also was demonstrated for two empirically derived subscales , the MASC-10 and Anxiety Index
Overall three question naires were found robust in their measurement properties , the Spence Children 's Anxiety Scale , its revised version - the Revised Children 's Anxiety and Depression Scale , and also the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders .
Crucially the articles on measurement properties provided almost no evidence on responsiveness to change , nor on the validity of use of the tools for evaluation of interventions for children with ASD .
BACKGROUND Evidence about relevant outcomes is required in the evaluation of clinical interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders ( ASD ) .
However , to date , the variety of outcome measurement tools being used , and lack of knowledge about the measurement properties of some , compromise conclusions regarding the most effective interventions .
OBJECTIVES This two-stage systematic review aim ed to identify the tools used in studies evaluating interventions for anxiety for high-functioning children with ASD in middle childhood , and then to evaluate the tools for their appropriateness and measurement properties .