Italian Validation of the Forensic Autism Risk Assessment Scale (FARAS-IT)

NCT07374081 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: ASD FARAS-IT
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 100
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The study is a multicenter observational project designed to translate, culturally adapt, and validate the Italian version of the FARAS (FARAS-IT), a structured framework for assessing risk and protective factors specific to individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) involved in the Italian criminal justice system. Adult participants (≥18 years) with a diagnosis or well-founded clinical suspicion of ASD are consecutively enrolled over 12 months into three groups: offenders in forensic psychiatric settings under security measures, offenders considered criminally responsible and not under psychiatric care, and psychiatric patients with ASD without any history of criminal behavior followed by community mental health services or non-forensic residential facilities. All participants undergo assessment with FARAS-IT and complementary clinical and forensic instruments (e.g., WHODAS 2.0, BPRS or equivalents, HCR-20, SAPROF, DUNDRUM), alongside collection of clinical, functional, and judicial variables, in order to evaluate the psychometric properties of FARAS-IT (factor structure, internal consistency, test-retest and inter-rater reliability, convergent and discriminant validity) and its clinical-forensic usefulness in understanding criminal responsibility and judicial decision-making trajectories in individuals with ASD.

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD

Keywords

ASD,; FARAS,; Italian Criminal Justice,; Forensic Psychiatry; SPJ

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• FARAS-IT total score

  Total score on the Italian version of the Forensic Autism Risk Assessment Scale (FARAS-IT), calculated as the sum of item ratings across seven domains (social communication, cognitive rigidity, cognitive empathy, adaptability, sensory sensitivity, emotional regulation, risk awareness). Higher total scores indicate greater autism-related vulnerability in the forensic context.

  Baseline (T0), at enrollment

Study Arms (3)

Perpetrators in Forensic Psychiatric context

Group A comprises all perpetrators of criminal offenses who, during the observation period, are subject to psychiatric security measures, both detentive (for example, REMS) and non-detentive (such as probation with therapeutic prescriptions)

Perpetrators considered criminally responsible

Group B includes subjects who are perpetrators of criminal offenses that do not result in being managed as psychiatric patients

Psychiatric patients' non-perpetrators of offenses

Group C comprises psychiatric patients who have never committed offenses, followed by territorial mental health services

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 70 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Apulia, Campania and Tuscany

You may qualify if:

• age 18 years or older;
• diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder formally made according to DSM-5-TR criteria or well-founded clinical suspicion of ASD, documented by specialist evaluation;
• insertion in one of the contexts provided for groups A, B, or C;
• capacity to provide valid informed consent, clinically assessed, or presence of guardian/administrator of substance in cases provided by current law;
• sufficient language and cognitive competence to participate in the evaluation, including with autism-informed communicative adaptations.

You may not qualify if:

• acute medical conditions or clinical instability preventing participation in the evaluation;
• acute psychotic state, severe disorganization of thought, or substance intoxication not stabilized at the time of assessment (with possibility of subsequent re-evaluation);
• severe intellectual disability or cognitive compromise making any structured data collection impossible, even with adaptive supports;

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Bari: lead

Related Publications (4)

• Carabellese, F., & Felthous, A. R. (2016). Forensic psychiatric evaluation and criminal responsibility. *International Journal of Law and Psychiatry*, 49, 83-90.

  BACKGROUND

• Romano, M. (2018). *Imputabilità e responsabilità penale*. Milano: Giuffrè.

  BACKGROUND

• Fiandaca, G., & Musco, E. (2020). *Diritto penale. Parte generale*. Bologna: Zanichelli.

  BACKGROUND

• Mantovani, F. (2019). *Diritto penale. Parte generale*. Padova: CEDAM.

  BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Mental Disorders

Central Study Contacts

Felice F Carabellese, Full Professor

CONTACT

+39 330673152; felice.carabellese@gmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Target Duration: 18 Months
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: FULL PROFESSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 5, 2026
• First Posted: January 28, 2026
• Study Start: February 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): February 1, 2029
• Study Completion (Estimated): February 1, 2029
• Last Updated: January 28, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01