Measurement of Social Communication Skills of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders During Interactions With Typical Peers

The Social-Communication Assessment Tool (S-CAT) Was created as a direct observation instrument to quantify specific social and communication deficits of children With autism spectrum disorders (ASD) Within educational settings. In this pilot study, the instrument's content validity and interrater reliability Were investigated to determine the degree to Which the S-CAT categorically discriminated betWeen children With ASD and those Without ASD. S-CAT ratings of 16 children With ASD Were compared to the ratings of 16 children Without ASD using a one-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA). Differences in verbal initiations, verbal responses, joint attention, and total interactions Were significant at the .01 level. Differences in nonverbal communication attempts Were not significant. The results suggest that the S-CAT is valid for discriminating betWeen children With and Without ASD.