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Usefulness of the social and communication disorders checklist (SCDC) for the assessment of social cognition in preschoolers

Abstract:

This study provides data on the usefulness of the Spanish version of the Social and Communication Disorders Checklist (SCDC; Skuse et al., 1997), in terms of the validity and reliability of derived scores. Data were obtained from parents' interviews and parents' and teachers' questionnaires that measured different psychological variables from a community sample of 579 (291 boys and 288 girls), 5-year-old children. These children were tested to assess their intellectual capacity. Confirmatory factor analyses yield a one-dimensional structure invariant across sex within each informant (parents or teachers), with negligible latent mean differences between boys and girls for both informants (parents-teachers). The internal consistency was satisfactory (alpha values ≥ .85 for teacher version and ≥ .75 for parent version). SCDC scores correlated with specific scales related to developmental problems, aggressive behavior, executive functioning, and uncaring behavior toward others. SCDC scores were unrelated to intelligence quotient, whereas SCDC scores were associated with the presence of disruptive disorders, measured with diagnostic interview. Results provide evidence on reliability and validity of SCDC scores, which is potentially a useful measure for the study of social cognition and its relationship with preschool adjustment.