BY MICHAEL RUTTER, MD, FRS, ANTHONY BAILEY, MD, AND CATHERINE LORD, PHD
This brief instrument helps evaluate communication skills and social functioning in children who may have autism or autism spectrum disorders. Completed by a parent/adult or other primary caregiver in less than 10 minutes, the SCQ is a cost-effective way to determine whether an individual should be referred for a complete diagnostic evaluation.
The questionnaire can be used to evaluate anyone over age 4.0, as long as his or her mental age exceeds 2.0 years. It is available in two forms—Lifetime and Current—each composed of just 40 yes-or-no questions. Both forms can be given directly to the parent, who can answer the questions without supervision. (Forms and manual are available in Spanish as well as English.)
A Quick Look at Both Developmental History and Current Status
The Lifetime Form focuses on the child’s entire developmental history, providing a Total Score that’s interpreted in relation to specific cutoff points. This scoring method identifies individuals who may have autism and should be referred for a more complete evaluation—with the Autism Diagnostic Interview, Revised (ADI-R) or the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS), for example. SCQ content parallels that of the ADI-R, and the agreement between SCQ and ADI-R scores is high and substantially unaffected by age, gender, language level, and performance IQ. This indicates that the SCQ is a valid screener, providing a reasonable picture of symptom severity.
Moving from developmental history to present status, the Current Form looks at the child’s behavior over the most recent 3-month period. It produces results that can be helpful in treatment planning, educational intervention, and measurement of change over time.
Ideal for Routine Screening
In addition to its screening and educational applications, the SCQ can also be used to compare symptom levels across various groups—children with developmental language disorders, for example, or youngsters with medical conditions typically associated with autism spectrum disorders.
Because the SCQ is brief, quick, easily administered, and relatively inexpensive, it allows clinicians and educators to routinely screen children for autism spectrum disorders. This testing in turn permits early intervention.
“. . . an efficient way to obtain diagnostic information or screen for autistic symptoms.”
Sally Ozonoff, Beth L. Goodlin-Jones, and Marjorie Solomon
Evidence-Based Assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Children and Adolescents, Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 2005, Vol. 34, No. 3
Terms often used to search for (SCQ) Social Communication Questionnaire
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