New study finds online self-reports may not accurately reflect clinical autism diagnoses. Adults who report high levels of autistic traits through online surveys may not reflect the same social behaviors or clinical profiles as those who have been formally diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

[u/mvea]

https://www.psypost.org/new-study-finds-online-self-reports-may-not-accurately-reflect-clinical-autism-diagnoses/

[u/Tusked_Puma]

Saying self-reported surveys 'are junk' feels a little unfair. Obviously, they will not have the same level of rigour as a clinician assessing an individual to see if they meet criteria. That being said, insufficient sample sizes have also been a huge problem in psychology since its inception, and so any tools that can dramatically increase sample sizes without an exorbitant and unrealistic cost associated with it is going to be seriously considered. It's a question of tradeoffs, not that we should automatically write-off any self-reported surveys as junk.

[u/5imbab5 → u/Tusked_Puma]

Whilst your points about sample size are correct the issues with some self report surveys for ASC is that they don't correlate with the diagnostic criteria. If the questions were closer to "established" criteria AND lived experience they would be more reliable.