Introducción: Actualmente debido a la ausencia de marcadores biológicos, el cribado de trastornos
del espectro autista (TEA) se centra fundamentalmente en la presencia de alteraciones
conductuales caracterizadas por alteraciones en la interacción social y comunicación verbal y
no verbal.
Objetivo: Evaluar los atributos psicométricos de la versión española de la escala de autismo
Autism-Tics, AD/HD and other Comorbidities Inventory (A-TAC), como medida de cribado de
TEA.
Material y métodos: Se incluyó en el estudio a 140 escolares (43% ni˜nos, 57% ni˜nas), de edades
comprendidas entre los 6 y los 16 a˜nos, con TEA (n = 15), discapacidad intelectual (n = 40),
enfermedades psiquiátricas (n = 22), tics (n = 12) y participantes controles (n = 51). Se analizaron
los principales atributos psicométricos como la fiabilidad, asunción escalar, la consistencia
interna, la precisión y la validez predictiva
Background: As there are no biological markers for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), screening
must focus on behaviour and the presence of a markedly abnormal development or a deficiency
in verbal and non-verbal social interaction and communication.
Objective: To evaluate the psychometric attributes of a Spanish version of the autism domain
of the Autism-Tics, AD/HD and other Comorbidities Inventory (A-TAC) scale for ASD screening.
Material and methods: A total of 140 subjects (43% male, 57% female) aged 6-16, with ASD
(n = 15), Mental Retardation (n = 40), Psychiatric Illness (n = 22), Tics (n = 12) and controls (n = 51),
were included for ASD screening. The predictive validity, acceptability, scale assumptions,
internal consistency, and precision were analysed.
Results: The internal consistency was high ( = 0.93), and the standard error was adequate
(1.13 [95% CI, -1.08 a 3.34]). The mean scores of the Autism module were higher in patients
diagnosed with ASD and mental disability compared to the rest of the patients (P < .001). The
area under the curve was 0.96 for the ASD group.
Conclusion: The autism domain of the A-TAC scale seems to be a reliable, valid and precise tool
for ASD screening in the Spanish school population
