The Brief Observation of Symptoms of Autism (BOSA): Development of a New Adapted Assessment Measure for Remote Telehealth Administration Through COVID-19 and Beyond

Deanna Dow; Alison Holbrook; Christina Toolan; Nicole McDonald; Kyle Sterrett; Nicole Rosen; So Hyun Kim; Catherine Lord

doi:10.1007/s10803-021-05395-w

The Brief Observation of Symptoms of Autism (BOSA): Development of a New Adapted Assessment Measure for Remote Telehealth Administration Through COVID-19 and Beyond

J Autism Dev Disord. 2022 Dec;52(12):5383-5394. doi: 10.1007/s10803-021-05395-w. Epub 2021 Dec 16.

Authors

Deanna Dow¹, Alison Holbrook², Christina Toolan¹, Nicole McDonald¹, Kyle Sterrett¹, Nicole Rosen¹, So Hyun Kim³, Catherine Lord⁴

Affiliations

¹ Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), 760 Westwood Plaza, RM 68-265, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, USA.
² Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative, 160 5th Ave, New York, NY, 10010, USA.
³ Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, 21 Bloomingdale Road, Rogers Building, White Plains, NY, 10605, USA.
⁴ Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), 760 Westwood Plaza, RM 68-265, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, USA. clord@mednet.ucla.edu.

Abstract

Interest in telehealth assessment for autism has increased due to COVID-19 and subsequent expansion of remote psychological services, though options that are easy for clinicians to adopt and available through the lifespan are limited. The Brief Observation of Symptoms of Autism (BOSA) provides a social context with standardized materials and activities that can be coded by clinicians trained in the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. The current project examined psychometric properties to determine optimal use for each BOSA version. Three hundred and seven participants with 453 BOSAs were included to determine best performing items for algorithms, validity, sensitivity, specificity, recommended cut-offs, and proposed ranges of concern. While preliminary, the BOSA provides a promising new option for telehealth-administered assessment for autism.

Keywords: Assessment; Autism spectrum disorder; Diagnosis; Screening.

MeSH terms

Autism Spectrum Disorder* / diagnosis
Autism Spectrum Disorder* / psychology
Autistic Disorder* / diagnosis
Autistic Disorder* / psychology
COVID-19*
Humans
Reproducibility of Results
Telemedicine*

Grants and funding

811870/Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative