The Swedish Version of the Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders (DISCO-10). Psychometric Properties

• Published in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders 2009-05, Vol.39 (5), p.730-741
• Main Authors: Nygren, Gudrun, Hagberg, Bibbi, Billstedt, Eva, Skoglund, Åsa, Gillberg, Christopher, Johansson, Maria
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adults; Algorithms; Autism; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child and School Psychology; Child clinical studies; Child, Preschool; Children; Clinical Diagnosis; Coding; Communication Disorders; Communication Disorders - diagnosis; Communication Disorders - psychology; Developmental disorders; Diagnosis; Diagnostic testing; Female; Foreign Countries; Humans; Infantile autism; Interpersonal Competence; Interpersonal Relationship; Interrater Reliability; Interview; Interview, Psychological - standards; Interviews; Language Impairments; Male; Mathematics; Medical sciences; Mental Disorders; Neurology; Neurosciences; Observation; Original Paper; Parents; Patients; Pediatrics; Personality Assessment; Personality Assessment - standards; Phenotypes; Predictive Validity; Preschool; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychiatry; Psychological; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychometric properties; Psychometrics; Psychometrics. Diagnostic aid systems; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psykiatri; Public Health; Reproducibility of Results; Semi Structured Interviews; Social Behavior Disorders; Social Behavior Disorders - diagnosis; Social Behavior Disorders - psychology; Sweden; Techniques and methods; Test Validity; Validity; Young Adult; Young Children
• ISSN: 0162-3257; 1573-3432
• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-008-0678-z

Psychometric properties of the Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders schedule (DISCO) have only been studied in the UK. The authorised Swedish translation of the tenth version of the DISCO (DISCO-10) was used in interviews with close relatives of 91 Swedish patients referred for neuropsychiatrical assessment. Validity analysis compared DISCO-10-algorithm diagnoses with clinical diagnoses and with Autism Diagnostic Interview Revised (ADI-R) algorithm diagnoses in 57 cases. Good-excellent inter-rater reliability was demonstrated in 40 cases of children and adults. The criterion validity was excellent when compared with clinical diagnoses and an investigator-based diagnostic interview. The DISCO-10 has good psychometric properties. Advantages over the ADI-R include valuable information of the broader autism phenotype and co-existing problems for clinical practice and research.