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Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) : August 2015
Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) : August 2015
Overview
The Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ; Rutter, Bailey, Lord, & Berument, 2003) is an instrument for screening for
autism in individuals over the age of 4 with a mental age over 2 years. The SCQ contains 40 yes/no items, which can be
completed in less than 10 minutes by a parent or other caregiver. The SCQ has two forms: the Lifetime Form, which focuses
on behavior throughout development, and the Current Form, which focuses on behavior during the most recent three
months. The instrument yields a Total Score for comparison to defined cutoff points.
Summary
Name of Screening/ Age Method of Approximate Subscales
Tool/Author Diagnosis Range* Administration/Format Time to
Administer
Social S Over 4 40-item parent Less than 10 Reciprocal Social
Communication questionnaire min. Interaction;
Questionnaire Language and
(SCQ) Additional Lifetime Form Communication;
Rutter, Bailey, that examines Stereotyped
Lord, & developmental history Patterns of Behavior
Berument (2003)
[formerly the Yields total score with cutoff
Autism Screening points
Questionnaire
(ASQ)]
*In years except where noted. Availability: Western Psychological Services, http://bit.ly/1mpzWXU
August 2015
Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ)
Research
Author (Year) Age Range Sample Size Topic Addressed Outcome
(in years)
Brooks, Benson, 18–40 69 Sensitivity and With cutoff score of 15, sensitivity of 0.71
2013 specificity and specificity of 0.77.
diagnosing Cutoff of 15 Sensitivity = 0.71;
adults with ASD Specificity = 0.77
Cutoff of 12, Sensitivity = 0.86;
Specificity = 0.60
Internal consistency of total scale:
alpha = 0.87
Social interaction subscale: alpha = 0.83
Restrictive repetitive behavior subscale:
alpha = 0.81.
These three were “good.”
Communication subscale:
alpha = 0.48 – poor.
SCQ shows promise as a measure for adults with
ID, with uncertain early developmental history.
Oosterling, 20–40 208 Sensitivity and The SCQ was not satisfactory at accurately
Rommelse, (months) specificity identifying high-risk toddlers and resulted in a
deJonge, Van number of false positives for toddlers with
der Gag, symptoms of ASD.
Swinkels, Roos, Cutoff > 11 Sensitivity = .92; Specificity = .26
Visser, & Cutoff > 12 Sensitivity = .88; Specificity = .35
Buitelaar (2010) Cutoff > 15 Sensitivity = .76; Specificity = .58
Cutoff > 22 Sensitivity = .29; Specificity = .86
Snow & 18-70 82 Sensitivity Cutoff of 13: Sensitivity = 0.85; Specificity =
Lecavalier (2008) (months) Specificity 0.40
Internal Cutoff of 15: Sensitivity = 0.70 ; Specificity =
Consistency 0.52
August 2015
Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ)
References
Allen, C. W., Silove, N., Williams, K., & Hutchins, P. (2007). Validity of the Social Communication Questionnaire in
assessing risk of autism in preschool children with developmental problems. Journal of Autism and
Developmental Disorders, 37(7), 1272–1278.
August 2015
Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ)
Brooks, W. T., Benson, B. A. (2013). The validity of the Social Communication Questionnaire in adults with intellectual
disability. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 7(2), 247–255.
Chandler, S., Charman, T., Baird, G., Simonoff, E., Loucas, T., et al. (2007). Validation of the Social Communication
Questionnaire in a population cohort of children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of the American Academy
of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 46(10), 1324–1332.
Eaves, L. C., Wingert, H., Ho, H. H., & Mickelson, E. (2006). Screening for autism spectrum disorders with the Social
Communication Questionnaire. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 27(2), Supplement 2, S95–
S103.
Oosterling, I., Rommelse, N., de Jonge, M., Van der Gaag, R.J., Swinkels, S., Roos, S., Visser, J., & Buitelaar, J. (2010). How
useful is the social communication questionnaire in toddlers at risk of autism spectrum disorder? Journal of Child
Psychology and Psychiatry, 51(110), 1260–1268.
Rutter, M., Bailey, A., Lord, C., & Berument, S. K. (2003). Social Communication Questionnaire. Los Angeles, CA: Western
Psychological Services.
Snow, A. N., & Lecavalier, L. (2008). Sensitivity and specificity of the modified checklist for autism in toddlers and the social
communication questionnaire in preschoolers suspected of having pervasive developmental disorders. Autism,
12(6), 627–644.
Wiggins, L. D., Bakeman, R., Adamson, L. B., & Robins, D. L. (2007). The utility of the Social Communication Questionnaire in
screening for autism in children referred for early intervention. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental
Disabilities, 22(1), 33–38.
Witwer, A. N., & Lecavalier, L. (2007). Autism screening tools: An evaluation of the Social Communication Questionnaire
and the Developmental Behavior Checklist – Autism Screening Algorithm. Journal of Intellectual and Developmental
Disability, 32(3), 179–187.
August 2015