Evaluation of the concurrent validity of a skills assessment for autism treatment

Accurate assessment is a critical prerequisite to meaningful curriculum programming for skill acquisition with children with autism spectrum disorder. The purpose of this study was to determine the validity of an indirect skills assessment. Concurrent validity of the assessment was evaluated by contrasting parent responses to participants' abilities, as indicated by direct observation of those skills. The degree to which parent report and direct observation were in agreement was measured by Pearson correlation coefficient for each curriculum area. Results indicated moderate to very high levels of agreement between parent report and direct observation of the behaviors. Results are discussed in terms of implications for efficiency of assessment and treatment.