Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ)

SOCIAL COMMUNICATION QUESTIONNAIRE (SCQ)
The Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) is one tool clinicians use when
screening an individual for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It is a measure for
caregivers to complete. Caregivers need to be familiar with the individual’s
developmental history and current behavior. It is used in both clinical and research
settings.
Name Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ)

Reference Rutter M, Bailey A & Lord C (2003). The Social
Communication Questionnaire. Los Angeles: Western
Psychological Services
Summary The SCQ is widely used as a screener for entry into
research studies on ASD. It was designed as a
questionnaire version of the Autism Diagnostic
Interview – Revised (ADI-R), the gold standard
developmental history measure that is widely used in
research and often in clinical practice. Caregivers can
rate the individual’s “lifetime” characteristics (which
would be used to support a diagnosis) or “current”
characteristics (which would be used to support an
evaluation of current difficulties). Like most
questionnaires, it was primarily developed on
individuals who had already been clinically referred
because of concerns of ASD or who had already been
diagnosed. However, compared to other rating scales,
the development research was significantly more
robust, including good diagnostic validation on
participants, and it has been widely adopted by both
the research and clinical community.
Age Range The individual should have a mental age of at least 2.0
years. Otherwise, this measure can be used with
individuals of any chronological age.
Format Two versions: Lifetime and Current. Each is a 40-item
parent report measure, yes/no format. Each take
approximately 10 minutes to complete, 5 minutes to
score.
Who Can Rate The SCQ is completed by the principal caregiver who is
familiar with both the developmental history and
current behavior of the individual.
Who Can Interpret The SCQ score should be interpreted by someone with
professional training in the care and treatment of
individuals on the autism spectrum.
Results Yielded The Lifetime version yields a Total Score that is
interpreted with reference to cutoff scores. Scores
above the cutoff of 15 suggest the individual is likely to
be on the autism spectrum and a more extended
evaluation should be undertaken. Researchers may
want to use a lower or higher cutoff depending on the
purpose (for example, a lower cutoff would increase
sensitivity, a higher cutoff would increase specificity).
Current scores (last 3 months) help the clinician
understand the individual’s current daily experiences
and evaluate treatment and educational plans.The 3
domains of Social Relating, Communication, and Range
of Interests can also be scored, but the utility of this
has not been widely researched.
Author’s This was created as a screening instrument; scores
Suggested Uses above the cutoff suggest that a full evaluation (for
example, using the ADI-R and Autism Diagnostic
Observation Schedule – “ADOS”) is warranted. It may
be possible to use this measure to compare overall
levels of ASD symptomatology across different samples
and/or across time. The Current form may be helpful as
a measure of current level of severity, but this has not
been well studied.
Author Cautions As a screening measure, the SCQ is not suitable for
individual diagnosis; items must be compared to clinical
observations. Scores at the cutoff (as opposed to above
the cutoff) may need to be examined as potential false
negatives. No data has been reported on false
positives. Finally, there is limited data on non-ASD
conditions that involve overlapping difficulties (for
example, Attachment Disorder, ADHD, OCD).
Item Development Items came from the ADI-R, which is considered the
“gold standard” measure for gathering developmental
history related to ASD.
Development Three samples were used for developing this measure.
Research Unlike many rating scales, these individuals had
extensive diagnostic and clinical data available through
previous or concurrent participation in other research
studies. Sample 1: 200 individuals (160 with confirmed
ASD diagnoses, 40 individuals without an ASD diagnosis
but with other developmental or behavioral diagnoses).
All parents had participated in an ADI-R (often years
before) and were then asked to complete the SCQ.
Sample 2: 21 children. Parents were asked to complete
the SCQ and then participated in an ADI-R. Sample 3:
81 individuals. Parents completed the SCQ and then an
ADI-R 2 months later.
Related Articles:
Getting an Evaluation for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Who is Able to Diagnose Autism Spectrum Disorder
Elements of an Evaluation for Autism Spectrum Disorder
The Center for Autism Research and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia do not endorse or recommend any specific person or organization or form
of treatment . The information included within the CAR Autism Roadmap & trade; and CAR Resource Directory & trade; should not be considered
medical advice and should serve only as a guide to resources publicly and privately available . Choosing a treatment, course of action, and/or a
resource is a personal decision, which should take into account each individual's and family's particular circumstances .

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SOCIAL COMMUNICATION QUESTIONNAIRE (SCQ)

Name Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ)

Getting an Evaluation for Autism Spectrum Disorder

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