[Validation of the German version of the Australian Scale of Asperger's Syndrome (ASAS)].
OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to validate the German version of the Australian Scale for Asperger's Syndrome (ASAS). Furthermore, the scoring of the ASAS as applied by the Australian authors was verified. METHODS: The mothers of 18 children with Asperger's Syndrome, those of 18 children referred for a possible diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome, but who did not receive that diagnosis, and the mothers of 15 children with other mental disorders participated in the study. All of the children were inpatients at the University of Wuerzburg Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. RESULTS: According to an analysis of variance, the scale successfully differentiates among the three samples. A stepwise discriminant analysis was performed. Classification results show that the membership of the three groups could be labelled accurately (accuracy rate: 60.78%). The ASAS's scoring methodology appears to yield good results for German patients. CONCLUSIONS: The scale appears to be an adequate tool for screening purposes in that it correctly discriminates children and adolescents with Asperger's Syndrome.