Initial development of a questionnaire about parents’ perspectives on the strengths and interests of autistic preschoolers.

The aim of this study was to develop a new questionnaire for documenting young autistic children’s interests and strengths and to draw a preliminary portrait of these characteristics, by comparing them with a group of typical preschoolers. Two groups were recruited to revise the questionnaire at each stage of its development. The tool was pretested through telephone interviews with 27 parents of autistic children and 28 parents of typical children matched by age. A review by professionals and parents led to several modifications to the questionnaire. Preliminary results showed that the parents in both groups had favorable perceptions of this questionnaire. Typical children were reported to have more social interests and autistic children, to be more interested in literacy and to have perception-related strengths. Autistic children’s parents had less favorable perceptions of their child’s strengths and interests. This research led to the development of the Questionnaire sur les Forces et les Intérêts chez les enfants Autistes d’âge Préscolaire (QFIAP), which documents autistic preschoolers’ interests and strengths. This new questionnaire may improve parents’ understanding of autistic characteristics. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)
Source: Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research