Abstract
Purpose of Review: The Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) is a screener for Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) validated for age 4.0 +. There is a clinical need for an ASD screener for children beyond the 30-month age limit of the M-CHAT-R/F. We evaluate the literature on the use of the SCQ in children < 4.0 years. Recent Findings: Recent studies have used very large samples; included typically developing children, rather than just those with developmental disorders; compared the SCQ Lifetime and Current versions; and increased scrutiny of internal validity. Summary: The sensitivity-specificity balance in distinguishing between ASD and other developmental disorders is poor, which has led to development of abbreviated versions of the SCQ; however, sensitivity-specificity balance is better in a more general population. The SCQ Lifetime (not Current) version should be used. Future research relating should focus on further validation of the SCQ as a screener for children 30–48 months.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 137-144 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Current Developmental Disorders Reports |
Volume | 4 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 1 2017 |
Keywords
- Area under ROC curve analysis
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
- Early childhood screening
- Psychometric properties
- Sensitivity and specificity
- Social communication questionnaire (SCQ)
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Developmental and Educational Psychology