A STRUCTURED PARENT INTERVIEW FOR IDENTIFYING YOUNG-CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Parent Intervi ew for Autism (PIA), a structured interview for gathering diagnostic i nformation from parents of young children with autism. Internal consis tency was evaluated in a sample of 165 children under 6 years old, and test-retest reliability and construct validity were evaluated in subs amples of the original group. Results revealed internal consistency an d test-retest reliability above .60 for 9 of the 11 dimensions constit uting the PIA, as well as significant correlations between the PIA and other measures of autism. Six of the PIA dimensions differentiated a group of young children with autism from a developmentally comparable group with mental retardation. Implications of these findings and sugg estions for future research am discussed.