Objective: This study aimed to examine the validity of the Korean version of the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (K-ADI-R) and determine its efficacy in identifying individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Methods: Data were pooled from several past and ongoing studies as well as clinical records acquired at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital from 2008 to 2017. The K-ADI-R were administered and scored by trained research reliable examiners. Measurements to investigate the validity of the K-ADI-R was through sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values (PPV), negative predictive values (NPV), and Cohen's kappa.
Results: A total of 1,271 (age 88.9±62.42 months, male=927) participants were included. The K-ADI-R yielded strong psychometric properties with high sensitivity (86.06-99.27%), specificity (84.75-99.55%), PPV (92.33-99.72%), and NPV (79.43-98.64%). There were significant differences in item scores across the K-ADI-R diagnostic algorithm regardless of age and sex (p<0.001). Agreement between the K-ADI-R and other ASD related measurements ranged between levels of good to excellent.
Conclusion: Despite language or cultural boundaries, the K-ADI-R demonstrated high levels of sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV within a wide range of participants; hence, suggesting promising usage as a valuable diagnostic instrument for individuals with ASD.
Keywords: Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised; Autism spectrum disorder; K-ADI-R; Validation.