Subdomains of restricted and repetitive behaviors within autism: Exploratory structural equation modeling using the diagnostic interview for social and communication disorders.

The current study aimed to explore the factor structure of a broad range of restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRB) within the autism spectrum. Exploratory structural equation modeling was conducted using individual item‐level data from the Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders (DISCO). DISCO is a comprehensive semi‐structured interview used by clinicians to elicit information from caregivers about the individual's profile of development and behavior. Data from a sample of 226 individuals with a clinical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (189 males; M age = 11.82 years, SDage = 7.87) were analyzed. The six‐factor structure provided the most optimal and interpretable fit (comparative fit index = 0.944, Tucker–Lewis index = 0.923, root mean square error of approximation = 0.018). Derived factors were interpreted as repetitive motor behaviors (RMB), unusual sensory and object focused interests (USOI), sensory sensitivity (SS), insistence on sameness (IS), circumscribed interests (CI) and stereotyped language (SL). Age was significantly negatively associated with RMB, USOI and SL but not with SS, IS or CI factor scores. None of the factors were associated with sex. ASD individuals with intellectual disability (ID) had the highest RMB, USOI, SS and SL scores while those without ID had the highest IS and CI scores. Our findings provide preliminary evidence for the utility of the DISCO as a comprehensive measure of several distinct RRB domains in both research and clinical contexts. Importantly, the current investigation highlights crucial areas for measurement development. The diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders (DISCO) is a detailed caregiver report clinical interview designed to capture a wide range of key features associated with autism spectrum disorder, including restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRB). This paper provides initial evidence that the DISCO is a promising measure for assessing a wide range of RRB including repetitive motor behaviors, insistence on sameness, circumscribed interests, unusual interests in sensory stimuli, sensory sensitivity and stereotypic language.

当前研究旨在探索自闭症谱系中广泛的限制与重复行为（RRB）的因素结构。使用来自社会与沟通障碍诊断访谈（DISCO）的单个项目层面的数据进行了探索性结构方程建模。DISCO是一种综合性的半结构化访谈，临床医生用它从照顾者那里获取有关个体发展和行为特征的信息。对226名临床诊断为自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的个体（189名男性；平均年龄 = 11.82岁，标准差 = 7.87）的样本数据进行了分析。六因素结构提供了最优且可解释的拟合（比较拟合指数 = 0.944，塔克 - 刘易斯指数 = 0.923，近似均方根误差 = 0.018）。衍生出的因素被解释为重复运动行为（RMB）、不寻常的感官和以物体为中心的兴趣（USOI）、感官敏感性（SS）、对同一性的坚持（IS）、局限兴趣（CI）和刻板语言（SL）。年龄与RMB、USOI和SL呈显著负相关，但与SS、IS或CI因素得分无关。这些因素均与性别无关。伴有智力残疾（ID）的自闭症个体的RMB、USOI、SS和SL得分最高，而无智力残疾的个体的IS和CI得分最高。我们的研究结果为DISCO作为研究和临床环境中几个不同RRB领域的综合测量工具的实用性提供了初步证据。重要的是，当前的研究强调了测量发展的关键领域。 社会与沟通障碍诊断访谈（DISCO）是一种详细的照顾者报告临床访谈，旨在捕捉与自闭症谱系障碍相关的广泛关键特征，包括限制与重复行为（RRB）。本文提供了初步证据，表明DISCO是一种有前景的测量工具，可用于评估广泛的RRB，包括重复运动行为、对同一性的坚持、局限兴趣、对感官刺激的不寻常兴趣、感官敏感性和刻板语言。