Table 5.
Diagnostic characteristics
| Characteristic | Autistic adults self-report formally diagnosed (n=221) |
Autistic adults self-report no formal diagnosis (n=32) |
Autistic adults informant-report (n=42) |
Carers (n=102) |
Non-autistic self-report (n=146) |
| AQ score mean (SD) | 87.6 (10.3) n=210 | 83.7 (8.8) | 84.2 (9.5) n=36 | 57.3 (13.8) n=60* | 55.1 (11.9) n=137 |
| Above AQ cut-off (%) | 203 (97) | 31 (97) | 35 (97) | 18 (30) | 30 (22) |
| †Autism diagnosis | |||||
| Autism spectrum disorder/condition | 49 (22) | – | 17 (40) | – | – |
| Asperger’s syndrome | 130 (59) | – | 11 (26) | – | – |
| Autistic disorder | 1 (0) | – | 6 (14) | – | – |
| ‘High-functioning’ autism | 32 (14) | – | 3 (7) | – | – |
| PDD-NOS | 1 (0) | – | 1 (2) | – | – |
| Other | 6 (3) | – | 2 (5) | – | – |
| No formal diagnosis | – | 32 (100) | 1 (2) | – | – |
| Age at diagnosis mean (SD) | 35.3 (15.1) n=217 | – | 10.01 (10.8) n=38 | – | – |
| Years since diagnosis mean (SD) | 6.9 (8.3) n=217 | – | 21.9 (9.8) n=38 | – | – |
| Intellectual disability (%) | 10 (4) | 1 (3) | 33 (78) | 1 (1) | 1 (1) |
| Other developmental disability (%) | 6 (3) | 2 (6) | 9 (21) | 0 | 1 (1) |
| ‡Other psychiatric diagnosis(%) | |||||
| Currently | 148 (69) n=213 | 13 (42) n=31 | 22 (52) | 38 (39) n=100 | 29 (21) n=140 |
| At any time | 191 (89) n=213 | 28 (90) n=31 | 31 (74) | 68 (68) n=100 | 67 (48) n=140 |
| Depression (PHQ-9) above cut-off (%) | 103 (52) n=199 | 15 (52) n=29 | – | 28 (29) n=97 | 15 (12) n=126 |
| Anxiety (DSM-5 GAD-A) above cut-off (%) | 115 (56) n=206 | 14 (47) n=32 | – | 27 (27) n=99 | 14 (11) n=130 |
*Carers were asked to complete the AQ scale only if they were a biological relative of the adult with autism.
†Autism diagnosis: Autistic adults (self-report, diagnosed), n=220.
‡Recording of a psychiatric diagnosis apart from autism spectrum conditions or intellectual disability.
AQ, Autism Quotient; GAD-A, Generalised Anxiety Disorder-Adult; PHQ-9, Patient Health Questionnaire-9.