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 .
Parent-defined target symptoms respond to risperidone in RUPP autism study: customer approach to clinical trials.
OBJECTIVE A consumer-oriented efficacy assessment in clinical trials should measure changes in chief complaint and consumer request ( symptoms of most concern to patient/caregiver ) , which may be diluted in change scores of multisymptom scales . METHOD In the Research Units on Pediatric Psychopharmacology ( RUPP ) Autism Network 8-week double-blind trial of risperidone versus placebo , the chief concerns of parents were collected at 0 , 4 , and 8 weeks ( endpoint ) , in addition to st and ardized primary measures . Blinded clinical judges rated change from baseline to 4 and 8 weeks on a 9-point scale ( 1 = normalized , 5 = unchanged , 9 = disastrous ) ; 94 participants had usable data . RESULTS The most common symptoms identified by parents were tantrums , aggression , and hyperactivity . Interrater reliability was excellent . Mean ratings at endpoint were 2.8 + /- 1.2 on risperidone and 4.5 + /- 1.3 on placebo ( p < .001 ) . Ratings were collinear with Clinical Global Impression-Improvement and Aberrant Behavior Checklist Irritability subscale ( primary dimensional measure ) . Effect size d was 1.4 , compared to 1.2 on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist Irritability subscale . Effect sizes varied twofold by symptom category , largest for self-injury ( 2.11 ) and tantrums ( 1.95 ) . CONCLUSIONS Risperidone was superior to placebo in reducing symptoms of most concern to parents of autistic children with irritable behavior .  Rating individualized participant-chosen target symptoms seems a reliable , sensitive , efficient , and consumer-friendly way to assess treatment effect and might have clinical application
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 .