Subdomains of restricted and repetitive behaviors within autism: Exploratory structural equation modeling using the diagnostic interview for social and communication disorders

Abstract

The current study aimed to explore the factor structure of a broad range of restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRB) within the autism spectrum. Exploratory structural equation modeling was conducted using individual item-level data from the Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders (DISCO). DISCO is a comprehensive semi-structured interview used by clinicians to elicit information from caregivers about the individual's profile of development and behavior. Data from a sample of 226 individuals with a clinical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (189 males; Mage = 11.82 years, SDage = 7.87) were analyzed. The six-factor structure provided the most optimal and interp..