title: The Social Communication Questionnaire in a sample of the general population of school-going children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The social communication questionnaire (SCQ) for autistic spectrum disorder was previously validated in clinical populations.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the distribution of SCQ-scores in the general child population, and identify if traits from all domains of autism are present.
  
  
  METHODS
  The SCQ was completed by parents of children attending a mixed-gender primary school of 240 children.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total SCQ scores ranged from 1 to 20, with a mode 1 and corrected mean of 3.89, SD = 2.77. SCQ items corresponding to all three domains of autism were found in the sample. Some items on the SCQ were answered as "autism-positive" for up to 41.8% of children in the general population sample.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The SCQ has a wide range in the general population, with traits from all three domains of autism. Some items in the SCQ do not discriminate children with autism from other school-going children.
authors.affiliation: The Department of Psychiatry, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St James's Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland. mulliga@tcd.ie
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mulligan
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.forename: R J L
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Anney
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gill
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000175:diagnosis; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003142:Communication; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007494:Ireland; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics; D012574:Schools / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires