title: Brief report: suitability of the Social Skills Performance Assessment (SSPA) for the assessment of social skills in adults with autism spectrum disorders.
abstract: The present study aims at examining whether the 'Social Skills Performance Assessment' (SSPA; Patterson et al. in Schizophr Res 48(2-3):351-360, 2001) is a suitable performance-based measure to assess social skills in adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). For this purpose, social skills of individuals with ASD and non-ASD participants were assessed through the SSPA role plays. Results of this study suggest that the SSPA is suitable for the assessment of social skills in adults with ASD. The SSPA discriminates between individuals with ASD and non-ASD individuals, with the ASD group scoring significantly lower. Although no evidence was found for convergent validity of the SSPA in participants with ASD, divergent validity of the SSPA and interrater reliability among adults with ASD were good.
authors.affiliation: Department of Research and Development, Dr. Leo Kannerhuis, P.O. Box 62, Houtsniplaan 1a, 6865 ZH, Doorwerth, The Netherlands, l.verhoeven@leokannerhuis.nl.
authors.forename: E W M
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Verhoeven
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Smeekens
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Didden
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010552:Personality Assessment; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012919:Social Behavior; D055815:Young Adult