Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 23, 2026
Use of a Video Scoring Anchor for Rapid Serial Assessment of Social Communication in Toddlers
Published on: March 14, 2018
Screening for Autism with the SRS and SCQ: Variations across Demographic, Developmental and Behavioral Factors in
Eric J Moody1, Nuri Reyes2, Caroline Ledbetter3
1Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Mailstop C234, 13121 E 17th Ave, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA. eric.moody@ucdenver.edu.
Abstract:
The Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) and the Social Responsiveness Scales (SRS) are commonly used screeners for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Data from the Study to Explore Early Development were used to examine variations in the performance of these instruments by child characteristics and family demographics. For both instruments, specificity decreased as maternal education and family income decreased. Specificity was decreased with lower developmental functioning and higher behavior problems. This suggests that the false positive rates of the SRS and the SCQ are associated with child characteristics and family demographic factors. There is a need for ASD screeners that perform well across socioeconomic and child characteristics. Clinicians should be mindful of differential performance of these instruments in various groups of children.
