Validation of the Emotion Regulation and Social Skills Questionnaire for Young People with Autism Spectrum Disorders

The current study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Emotion Regulation and Social Skills Questionnaire (ERSSQ), a rating scale designed specifically to assess the social skills of young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The participants were 84 children and young adolescents with ASD, aged between 7.97 and 14.16 years with a mean IQ score of 90.21 (SD = 18.82). The results provide evidence for the concurrent and criterion validity of the ERSSQ Parent form, and the concurrent validity of the ERSSQ Teacher form. The clinical and theoretical implications are discussed, including the necessity of ratings across multiple contexts and the potential use of the ERSSQ in identifying individuals most in need of intervention and for planning and assessing the outcomes of social skills interventions.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the cooperation and participation of the Aspect school staff and families in this research, as well as the Australian Research Council who supported this study with a grant (ARC Linkage Grant LP100100052).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

1. School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, UNSW, Australia Thomas W. Butterworth
2. Child Development Unit, Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW, Australia M. Antoinette Redoblado Hodge
3. School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia Kate Sofronoff & Renae Beaumont
4. Centre for Developmental Psychiatry and Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Southern Clinical School, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia Kylie M. Gray & John R. Taffe
5. Autism Centre of Excellence, School of Education and Professional Studies, Griffith University, Mt Gravatt, QLD, Australia Jacqueline Roberts
6. Brain & Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney, 94 Mallett St, Camperdown, NSW, 2050, Australia Siân K. Horstead, Kristina S. Clarke, Patricia Howlin & Stewart L. Einfeld
7. Centre for Disability Research and Policy, University of Sydney, Lidcombe, NSW, Australia Siân K. Horstead, Kristina S. Clarke, Patricia Howlin & Stewart L. Einfeld

1. Thomas W. Butterworth