Specificity and sensitivity of the social communication questionnaire lifetime screening tool for autism spectrum disorder in a UK CAMHS service

Staton, Amelia, Dawson, Dave, Moghaddam, Nima and McGrath, Barbara (2023) Specificity and sensitivity of the social communication questionnaire lifetime screening tool for autism spectrum disorder in a UK CAMHS service. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 28 (3). ISSN 1359-1045

Full content URL: https://doi.org/10.1177/13591045221137196

Documents
Specificity and sensitivity of the social communication questionnaire lifetime screening tool for autism spectrum disorder in a UK CAMHS service
Published manuscript
[img]
[Download]
[img]
Preview
PDF
STATON 2022 SCQ ASD CAMHs Published.pdf - Whole Document
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.

602kB
Item Type:Article
Item Status:Live Archive

Abstract

The Social Communication Questionnaire is used to identify children and young people (CYP) who may require formal ASD assessment. However, there is a paucity of research on its utility in Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services. This evaluation aimed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) in a UK, Midlands CAMHS service. Method: Forty young people (mean age 13.75 years) were screened using the caregiver reported SCQ before completing 'gold standard' assessment. Results: The SCQ had a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 25.7%. ROC curve analysis indicated low diagnostic accuracy. Differences in predictive accuracy of SCQ and diagnostic standard were statistically significant (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: This evaluation builds on previous research suggesting that the SCQ may not be an efficient screening tool in CAMHS settings.

Keywords:social communication questionnaire, ASD, CAMHs, Autism, Screening
Subjects:C Biological Sciences > C840 Clinical Psychology
Divisions:College of Social Science > School of Psychology
ID Code:52738
Deposited On:12 Dec 2022 09:52

Repository Staff Only: item control page