[The validity and reliability of the Social Communication Questionnaire- Turkish form in autistics aged 4-18 years]

The Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) is a valid and reliable 40- item scale used to assess of pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs). The aim of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of the SCQ-Turkish Form (SCQ-TF).

The study included 100 children and adolescents aged 4-18 years 50 were diagnosed as PDD and 50 were diagnosed with intellectual disability (ID) based on DSM-IV-TR criteria. The consistency, test-retest reliability, content validity, and discriminant validity of SCQ-TF for the groups in the study sample were evaluated. SCQ-TF was compared to the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Autism Behavioural Checklist (ABC), and Clinical Global Impression Severity of Illness (CGI-SI). The most appropriate SCQ-TF cut-off point was determined via ROC analysis.

The 4-factor structure of SCQ-TF accounted for 43% of the observed total variance. Correlations between the Social Communication Questionnaire -Turkish Form and the other measures were significant. The Cronbach's alpha value for the SCQ-TF total score was 0.80. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) varied between 0.87 and 0.96, and the cut-off point was 15.

The findings show that SCQ-TF is valid and reliable for use in Turkey in those aged 4-18 years.