The Construct Validity of Anxiety Disorders in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The literature indicates that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are at a heightened risk for developing anxiety disorders. Between 11% and 84% of individuals with ASD are also diagnosed with a co-occurring anxiety disorder (Muris, 1998; de Bruin et al., 2007; Green et al., 2000; Simonoff et al., 2008; Sukhodolsky et al., 2007). Despite the high frequency of co-occurrence, little research has investigated the validity of the DSM-IV Anxiety Disorder classification system in the ASD population. The present study examined 85 children, aged 7-11, with ASD and anxiety. A multitrait- (social phobia, separation anxiety disorder, and total anxiety) multimethod (self, parent, and diagnostician report) analysis was examined. Results from confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) suggest good convergent and discriminant validity for social phobia, separation anxiety disorder, and total anxiety severity. These findings provide preliminary evidence for the construct validity of the current classification system for anxiety disorders in children with ASD