Brief Report: Preliminary Reliability, Construct Validity and Standardization of the Auditory Behavior Questionnaire (ABQ) for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

The Auditory Behavior Questionnaire (ABQ) evaluates abnormal behavioral responses to auditory stimulation in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This study reports preliminary reliability, construct validity and standardization of the ABQ. Parents of children with ASD aged 7–21 years (n = 165) completed the ABQ on-line. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.94 indicating strong internal consistency. Factor analysis revealed a four-factor structure supporting previous theoretical discussion of global sensory processing difficulties and the construct validity of the ABQ. The 4-factors, (1) Difficulty in Background Noise, (2) Aversive Reactions, (3) Unresponsiveness, and (4) Stereotypic/Repetitive Behaviors, are very similar to Dunning’s (Development of a questionnaire to assess auditory behaviors in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders, The Ohio State University, Columbus, 2003) hypothesized factor domains. Standard factor scores for children with ASD are reported.