Validation of the Behavioral Assessment of Social Interaction in Young Children (BASYC) as a Measure of Early Social Behavior in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

Early social behaviors in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) represent an area of core symptom deficits that reflect chronic and pervasive impairment (Gillis & Romanczyk, 2008). Although the specific and heterogeneous pattern of social deficits may be well-documented, available assessment measures for these deficits are limited (Sigafoos, Schlosser, Green, O’Reilly, & Lancioni, 2008). To increase accurate description of symptoms and evaluate sensitivity of the impact of intervention, a new assessment measure, the Behavioral Assessment of Social Interactions in Young Children (BASYC; Gillis, Romanczyk, & Callahan, 2007) was developed. The current study aimed to validate the BASYC using the Early Social Communication Scales (ESCS; Mundy, Seibert, & Hogan, 1984; Mundy et al., 2003; Seibert, Hogan, & Mundy, 1982) in a sample of 22 children. Cross-validation of the BASYC using the ESCS evaluated convergent validity between the measures using scales related to social responsivity and social initiations. An additional goal of the study was to examine the relationship between ASD symptomatology in the current sample and scale scores on the BASYC and ESCS.