Construct validity of the Chinese version of the psycho-educational profile-3rd edition (CPEP-3)

Objective behavioral assessment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in early childhood is essential for guiding appropriate treatment and intervention. In contrast to Western societies, validated measures of ASD are very limited in different Chinese contexts. The present study attempted to examine the construct validity of the Chinese version of Psycho-Educational Profile-3rd edition (CPEP-3). The CPEP-3 was administered to a sample of 455 children with ASD and a comparison group of 281 children without ASD. As predicted, older children scored significantly higher than younger children on different subtests of CPEP-3, and there was no gender difference within the autistic group. The construct validity of the CPEP-3 was further supported by the high internal consistency of each subtest as well as the moderate to large correlation coefficients among subtests. In line with the theoretical model, confirmatory factor analysis showed the three-factor model of the Performance test fitted well. In conjunction with the data reported previously, the present findings provided sound evidence for the construct validity of CPEP-3.