Validation of the Arabic version of the Social Communication Questionnaire.
Mohammed Aldosari, Eric Fombonne, Hesham Aldhalaan and 10 others
PMID 30606031WHAT IT FOUND
In 412 Arabic-speaking children, the Arabic Social Communication Questionnaire separated autism cases from controls well.
At a score of 15, it correctly flagged 0.796 of children with autism and correctly passed 0.966 of typically developing children.
Key findings
01The Arabic SCQ total score separated children with diagnosed ASD from typically developing children, with a mean difference of 13.8 points.
02At a total score cutoff of 15, the questionnaire was correct in 0.796 of children with ASD and in 0.966 of typically developing children.
03Social interaction items showed the strongest association with case status among the three SCQ domains.
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 ASD group was recruited from autism centers and special schools, and many had moderate-to-severe impairments, while controls came from mainstream schools and had no reported learning or behavioral problems. This may make the score difference larger than it would be in a general school population. The samples were convenience samples from selected sites, not representative of all children in Qatar or Saudi Arabia. Typically developing children were considered free of ASD based only on parent and teacher reports, not diagnostic assessment. The study did not collect caregiver education or socioeconomic status, so it cannot say whether those factors affected completion or scores. It tested children aged 5 to 12 years, not toddlers, so it does not show how the questionnaire performs for earlier screening.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Qatar National Research Fund (NPRP 6-093-3-024). The authors disclosed this financial support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat a total score of 15 as proof of autism. The study compared children already diagnosed with ASD in clinics and special schools with mainstream children without reported concerns, so the questionnaire only helps decide who needs further evaluation.