Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Social Communication Questionnaire

This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ). We assessed 736 participants (male, 80.1%) aged 2–18, who were clinically diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) including autistic disorder, Asperger's disorder, or pervasive developmental disorders, not otherwise specified according to the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. All the parents completed the Chinese versions of the SCQ. Among them, parents of 317 participants were interviewed by using the Chinese version of the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R). The exploratory factor analysis revealed a three-factor structure (social interaction, repetitive behaviors, and communication), which was further validated by the confirmatory factor analyses with an adequate fit (Goodness-of-Fit Index = 0.923; Comparative Fit Index = 0.983; root mean square error of approximation = 0.034). The test–retest reliability (intra-class correlations = 0.77–0.78), internal consistency (α = 0.73–0.91), and concurrent validity (Pearson correlation up to 0.65) were satisfactory. Children with autistic disorder had the highest scores, followed by children with Asperger's disorder who had intermediate scores and then non-ASD participants who had the lowest scores. Our findings suggest that the Chinese SCQ is a reliable and valid instrument for rating autistic symptoms in Chinese-speaking population (ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT00494754).