‘Overinclusive’ or underperforming? What are self-report autistic trait measures really measuring?

Abstract

Our understanding of autism has grown exponentially in the last two decades, and with it, so has the number of adults seeking an autism diagnosis later in life.

This rise in diagnoses has led researchers to debate current conceptualisations of autism and question whether current approaches have become ‘overinclusive’ and over-reliant on self-reported experiences.  

Within this debate, however, the psychometric properties of self-report tools have often been overlooked, with little consideration for whether the measures we use to capture self-reported experiences are effective or appropriate for this purpose. 

In this talk, I will present a series of studies evidencing the poor psychometric properties and ill-use of self-report measures of autistic traits, and consider how these may be impacting clinical decision-making and our understanding of autism.  

The talk will conclude by discussing strategies that may help to overcome pitfalls in current research practice, and will consider alternative paradigms for measuring autistic traits in adults.   

Biography 

Lucy joined the University of Surrey as a Lecturer in Clinical Psychology earlier this summer.  

She completed her PhD at the University of Bath, where she investigated the psychometric properties of autistic trait measures and the transdiagnostic links between neurodevelopmental conditions.  

Prior to her current position, Lucy worked as a Research Associate at the University of Bath examining the longitudinal and biophysiological associations between personal relative deprivation and wellbeing.  

Through her involvement in wide-ranging projects, Lucy has developed a broad interest in understanding wellbeing from multiple psychological and experimental perspectives, with a particular focus on neurodevelopmental conditions.