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Validating the Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

This study examined the factor structure of the Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised (RBS-R) in a sample of 287 preschool-aged children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine six competing structural models. Spearman’s rank order correlations were calculated to examine the associations between factor scores and variables of interest. The 3- and 5-factor models were selected as preferable on the basis of fit statistics and parsimony. For both models, the strongest correlations were with problem behavior scores on the Child Behavior Checklist and repetitive behavior scores on the ADI-R. Developmental index standard scores were not correlated with factors in either model. The results confirm the utility of the RBS-R as a measure of repetitive behaviors in young children with ASD.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Autism Speaks, the Government of British Columbia, the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, and the Sinneave Family Foundation. The authors thank all the families who participated in the Pathways in ASD study. The authors also acknowledge the members of the Pathways in ASD Study Team. These members had equal contribution to the study and are listed here alphabetically: Liliana Abruzzese, Susan Bauld, Terry Bennett, Ainsley Boudreau, Colin Andrew Campell, Mike Chalupka, Lorna Colli, Melanie Couture, Bev DaSilva, Natalie Dinsdale, Vikram Dua, Lindsay Fleming, Kristin Fossum, Nancy Garon, Shareen Holly, Karen Kalynchuk, Kathryne MacLeod, Wendy Mitchell, Julianne Noseworthy, Irene O’Connor, Sarah Peacock, Teri Phillips, Sara Quirke, Jennifer Saracino, Cody Shepherd, Rebecca Simon, Mandy Steiman, Benjamin Taylor. Ann Thompson, Lee Tidmarsh, Larry Tuff, Stephen Wellington, Isabelle Yun, and Li Hong Zhong.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of British Columbia, 2125 Main Mall, V6T 1Z4, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Pat Mirenda

  2. IWK Health Sciences Centre, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada

    Isabel M. Smith & Susan Bryson

  3. University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Tracy Vaillancourt

  4. McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Stelios Georgiades, Eric Duku & Peter Szatmari

  5. McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Eric Fombonne

  6. The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Wendy Roberts

  7. University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

    Joanne Volden & Lonnie Zwaigenbaum

  8. Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada

    Charlotte Waddell

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  1. Pat Mirenda
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The Pathways in ASD Study Team

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Correspondence to Pat Mirenda.

Appendix

Appendix

See Table 5.

Table 5 Internal consistency (Cronbach’s α) for factors from the six competing models
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Mirenda, P., Smith, I.M., Vaillancourt, T. et al. Validating the Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 40, 1521–1530 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-010-1012-0

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