A comparison of children and adolescents with ASD, atypical development, and typical development on the Behavioral Assessment System for Children, Second Edition (BASC-2)

• BASC-2 as a measure for discerning children and adolescents with ASD from atypically and typically developing peers.
• Overall more significant impairments in participants with ASD compared to typically developing peers.
• Significant differences between ASD and atypical participants in scores related to the cores features of ASD.

The present study examined the use of the Behavioral Assessment System for Children, Second Edition (BASC-2) in discerning 151 children and adolescents 12–16 years of age with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from atypically and typically developing children and adolescents. Scores on the BASC-2 composites (i.e., externalizing behaviors, internalizing behaviors, behavior symptom index [BSI], adaptive behaviors) and subscales (i.e., hyperactivity, aggression, conduct problems, anxiety, depression, somatization, atypicality, withdrawal, attention, adaptability, social skills, leadership, activities of daily living, functional communication) were compared between children and adolescents with ASD, atypical development, and typical development. With the exception of aggression, somatization, and internalizing behaviors, participants with ASD were significantly more impaired than typically developing participants in all other composites and subscales. In comparison to atypically developing participants, the scores of participants with ASD evinced more impairment for BSI and its subscales, with the exception of attention, and the adaptive behavior composite and its subscales, with the exception of adaptability. Scores on the externalizing behaviors and internalizing behaviors composites and their subscales, with the exception of anxiety, were not significantly different. Research and clinical implications are discussed.