title: Development of the communication complexity scale.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Accurate description of an individual's communication status is critical in both research and practice. Describing the communication status of individuals with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities is difficult because these individuals often communicate with presymbolic means that may not be readily recognized. Our goal was to design a communication scale and summary score for interpretation that could be applied across populations of children and adults with limited (often presymbolic) communication forms.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Communication Complexity Scale (CCS) was developed by a team of researchers and tested with 178 participants with varying levels of presymbolic and early symbolic communication skills. Correlations between standardized and informant measures were completed, and expert opinions were obtained regarding the CCS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CCS scores were within expected ranges for the populations studied, and interrater reliability was high. Comparison across other measures indicated significant correlations with standardized tests of language. Scores on informant report measures tended to place children at higher levels of communication. Expert opinions generally favored the development of the CCS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The scale appears to be useful for describing a given individual's level of presymbolic or early symbolic communication. Further research is needed to determine whether it is sensitive to developmental growth in communication.
authors: University of Kansas, Lawrence, USA. nbrady@ku.edu
authors: Nancy C
authors: NC
authors: Brady
authors: Kandace
authors: K
authors: Fleming
authors: Kathy
authors: K
authors: Thiemann-Bourque
authors: Lesley
authors: L
authors: Olswang
authors: Patricia
authors: P
authors: Dowden
authors: Muriel D
authors: MD
authors: Saunders
authors: Janet
authors: J
authors: Marquis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D002663:Child Language; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003142:Communication; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007804:Language Development; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult