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A 20 item observational measure of social functioning, the Impression of Interviewee rating scale, is one of three measures devised to assess the broader autism phenotype. The sample studied included families containing at least two individuals with autism spectrum disorder; observations were undertaken by the researcher who interviewed the subject. An exploratory factor analysis suggested a single factor was most appropriate (Cronbach's [alpha] of 0.78). There was a modest but significant retest correlation of 0.42. Correlations between live ratings and blind consensus ratings of vignettes were high (0.93). Correlations with the interview measures were moderate but statistically significant. In conclusion, the observational scale provides a promising start but further work is required before general use can be recommended. Keywords Broader autism phenotype * Observer rating * Test-retest * Factor analysis * Social functioning, Introduction The broader autism phenotype (BAP) primarily comprises socio-communicative features that should be observable in the course of ordinary social interactions. The International Molecular Study of Autism Consortium (IMGSAC) developed [...]

We investigated the predictive power of morphological features in 224 autistic patients and 224 matched-pairs controls. To assess the relationship between the morphological features and autism, we used the receiver operator curves (ROC). In addition, we used recursive partitioning (RP) to determine a specific pattern of abnormalities that is characteristic for the difference between autistic children and typically developing controls. The present findings showed that morphological features are significantly increased in patients with autism. Using ROC and RP, some of the morphological measures also led to strong predictive accuracy. Facial asymmetry, multiple hair whorls and prominent forehead significantly differentiated patients with autism from controls. Future research on multivariable risk prediction models may benefit from the use of morphological features. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10803-012-1554-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. Keywords Autism * Common variant * Endophenotype * Morphology * Minor anomaly * Predictive value * ROC * Recursive partitioning, Introduction Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) represents a set of chronic and severe neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood characterized by qualitative impairments in social interaction and communication skills, accompanied by repetitive and [...]