Measuring autism-associated traits in the general population: Factor structure and measurement invariance across sex and diagnosis status of the Social Communication Questionnaire.
Laura Hegemann, Ragna Bugge Askeland, Stian Barbo Valand and 8 others
PMID 38159069WHAT IT FOUND
The Social Communication Questionnaire measures five distinct traits in the general population, not just two or three.
Total scores mix these traits and should not be used as a single measure of autism-associated traits, as they lack coherent meaning.
Key findings
01A five-factor model best fits the SCQ data in the general population, identifying distinct domains for idiosyncratic speech, repetitive behaviors, social reciprocity, non-verbal communication, and play.
02The factor structure is consistent across sexes, allowing direct comparison of scores between boys and girls, though one item on special interests may measure precision differently.
03While the structure is similar between autistic and non-autistic individuals, the underlying meaning of the factors may differ, so identical scores do not necessarily indicate the same level of trait expression.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The autism diagnosis group was small (636 participants) and may not represent typical clinical cohorts, as many had older ages of diagnosis and fewer had intellectual disability. The study relied on parent report, and differences between groups could reflect how parents interpret questions rather than actual differences in child behavior. Participants were not asked to report ethnicity, and the sample overrepresented highly educated mothers.
Declared interests
One author receives research funding from Western Psychological Services and consultant fees from Janssen Research and Development. The study was funded by the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority and the Research Council of Norway.
The easy way to misread this
Do not use the SCQ total score as a valid measure of autism-associated traits in the general population. The score combines five distinct factors, and the same total score may mean different things for autistic and non-autistic children.