THE CROSS CULTURAL EXAMINATION OF A BRIEF AUTISM DIAGNOSTIC INTERVIEW (ADI-R) IN KOREA AND THE UNITED STATES

Autism is the fastest growing developmental disability in the United States; as many as 1 in 88 individuals have been identified with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2010). Although scientists are working on understanding how many people in the population have autism, there is a limited amount of focus on the identification of any cultural factors that may influence people’s understanding about autism, attitudes about autism, and reporting of symptoms. The accepted methods for diagnosing autism are the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R). This study seeks to develop a brief version of the ADI-R using Item Response Theory with a Korean sample of school aged children divided into two groups based on age and language ability. The specific items from the Brief Korean Autism Diagnostic Interview (KBADI) are compared to the Korean translated ADI-R scoring algorithms, which were originally derived in the United States, in order to give some insight into any cultural differences. This study aims to identify any Korean cultural influences that may play a role in the parent or caregiver’s reporting of autism symptom