The Psychometric Properties of Autism Mental Status Examination (AMSE) in Turkish Sample

Authors

Yavuz Meral, Istanbul Medeniyet University, School of Medicine, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Istanbul, Türkiye.
Alperen Bıkmazer, Istanbul Medeniyet University, School of Medicine, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Istanbul, Türkiye. alperen.bikmazer@medeniyet.edu.tr.
Abdurrahman Cahid Örengül, Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Istanbul, Türkiye.
Süleyman Çakıroğlu, Altınbaş University, School of Medicine, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Istanbul, Türkiye.
Esra Altınbilek, Göztepe Prof. Dr. Süleyman Yalçın City Hospital, Istanbul, Türkiye.
Fulya Bakır, Istanbul Medeniyet University, School of Medicine, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Istanbul, Türkiye.
Bilgihan Bıkmazer, Marmara University Training and Research Hospital, Pediatric Neurology Clinic, Istanbul, Türkiye.
Ayman Saleh, George Washington University, Children's National Hospital, Psychiatry Department, Washington, USA.
Vahdet Görmez, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, College of Islamic Studies, Doha, Qatar.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

3-4-2025

Journal

Journal of autism and developmental disorders

DOI

10.1007/s10803-025-06761-8

Keywords

Autism mental status examination; Autism spectrum disorder; Early diagnosis; Reliability; Validity

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder, and early diagnosis plays a pivotal role in prognosis and management. This study aims to examine the psychometric properties of the Autism Mental Status Exam (AMSE), a tool that shows great promise in terms of clinical utility, within the Turkish population. This study conducted in a cohort of 307 Turkish children aged 17 to 120 months with suspected ASD. Participants underwent a multidisciplinary assessment based on DSM-5 criteria for diagnosis and were categorized into ASD and non-ASD groups. Subsequently, the research team conducted blinded administrations of the AMSE and Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). Additionally, a subset of 61 children underwent retesting for AMSE and CARS after three weeks for temporal stability. The results revealed an optimal cut-off score of 4 for AMSE, yielding sensitivity and specificity rates of 84% and 97%, respectively. Internal consistency, indicated by a Cronbach's alpha of 0.80, was very good. The test-retest reliability, assessed using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC), was excellent (ICC = 0.959). The inter-rater reliability also showed excellent agreement (ICC = 0.997). Furthermore, a significant correlation was observed between the AMSE and CARS scores (r = 0.94, p < 0.001). Notably, the AMSE scores were significantly different between the ASD and non-ASD groups (p < 0.001) with a large effect size (Cohen's d = 1.40). The findings of this study underscore the utility of AMSE as a valid and reliable tool for Turkish children with robust psychometric properties.

APA Citation

Meral, Yavuz; Bıkmazer, Alperen; Örengül, Abdurrahman Cahid; Çakıroğlu, Süleyman; Altınbilek, Esra; Bakır, Fulya; Bıkmazer, Bilgihan; Saleh, Ayman; and Görmez, Vahdet, "The Psychometric Properties of Autism Mental Status Examination (AMSE) in Turkish Sample" (2025). GW Authored Works. Paper 6858.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/6858

Department

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences