Brazilian Portuguese Childhood Autism Spectrum Test: an investigation of the factor structure of autistic traits in school-aged children

Abstract

Objective: There is limited evidence about the cross-cultural validity of autistic symptoms in school-aged children in Brazil. We used data from a large school survey to evaluate the factor structure of autism symptoms in community-dwelling children and adolescents. Methods: We translated the Childhood Autism Spectrum Test to Brazilian Portuguese and performed factor analyses to investigate the factor structure of parent-reported autistic symptoms in a large sample (n=8,571) of children/adolescents from a school survey in the metropolitan area of São Paulo. Results: Autistic symptoms were best conceptualized under a correlated-factors model with two factors: one predominantly characterized by social-communication symptoms and the other by symptoms of inflexible/restricted language, behaviors, and interests. Conclusions: These findings provide evidence that the structure of autistic symptoms in Brazil is similar to that described in other countries, indicating the cross-cultural validity of autism in Brazil.