Construct Validity of the Autism Classification System of Functioning: Social Communication (ACSF:SC) Across Childhood and Adolescence.

This study examined the construct validity of the Autism Classification System of Functioning: Social Communication (ACSF). Participants included 145 parents of children with autism (2-19 years). The degree of convergent and discriminant validity between parent reported ACSF and subscales from Social Responsiveness Scale 2nd edition and Behavior Assessment System for Children, 3rd Edition were examined against a priori hypotheses. We examined construct validity in the entire sample as well as in specific age cohorts. Our findings suggest that ACSF can provide a valid classification system of social communication ability in children with autism 2-19 years of age, and its two subscales may be used to examine different aspects of social communication ability.