Sinais de Alerta para Transtorno do Espectro Autista: Evidências de Validade do PROTEA-R-NV

Abstract

Identification of signs of ASD and diagnosis require the use of tests with diverse sources of validity evidence. The aim of this study was to gather validity evidence for the PROTEA-R-NV based on: (a) criteria variables and (b) convergent validity with the M-CHAT. A mixed method design was performed (comparative and correlational groups). In the comparative analysis, 15 children diagnosed with ASD (mean age 44.8 (SD=16.64) months) and 15 children without this diagnosis (mean age 45.13 (SD=17.62) months) participated. Participants in the correlational analysis were 44 children with and without ASD (mean age 45.10(SD=15.90) months). The majority of PROTEA-R-NV items and the total score of the critical items showed significant differences between groups, with the ASD group presenting higher scores, indicating more impairment. The M-CHAT total score showed strong and positive correlation with the PROTEA-R-NV critical items score. Accordingly, the PROTEA-R-NV presented adequate evidence of validity based on criteria and convergent validity.