The influence of scale structure and sex on parental reports of children’s social (pragmatic) communication symptoms

ABSTRACT

The addition of social (pragmatic) communication disorder [S(P)CD] to the DSM-5 taxonomy has left clinicians and researchers searching for appropriate diagnostic measures. Factor analysis procedures examined the extent to which S(P)CD symptoms presented within the Children’s Communication Checklist-Second Edition (CCC-2) represented a unique construct and whether these factors were influenced by children’s sex. Parents of 208 children (males = 125 and females = 83) from a community-based sample completed the CCC-2. Two pragmatic scores from the CCC-2 were analysed as follows: the social interaction difference index (SIDI) and a pragmatic composite from the original CCC (PC-5). Factor analysis failed to find a unique factor structure for either pragmatic composite. Analyses uncovered different factor structures for the CCC-2 SIDI and PC-5 composites and for boys and girls. S(P)CD represents a complex combination of symptoms that are poorly differentiated from other language and socioemotional behavioural difficulties.

KEYWORDS:

• Assessment
• factor analysis
• language disorders
• sex differences
• social (pragmatic) communication disorder

Acknowledgements

Portions of this study were presented at the 2015 American Speech Language and Hearing National Convention in Denver, Colorado. We are grateful to the families who participated in this study for their generosity. Appreciation is also extended to the following people for their assistance in recruiting potential participants: Lisa Holmstead (Salt Lake City School District) and Deborah Luker (Jordan School District). Several graduate and undergraduate students from the University of Utah Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders assisted in various aspects of this project and deserve recognition for their contributions: David Aamodt, Peter Behnke, Kimber Campbell, Jessica Carrizo, Olivia Childs, Liz Hafen, Lyssandra Harker, Nathan Lilly, Amy Ludlow, Kristi Moon, Elie Munyandkindi, Theresa Pfaff, and Michelle Stettler.

Declaration of interest

The authors have no interests to disclose, financial or otherwise.

Funding

Funding was provided by an NIDCD grant R01DC011023 (awarded to the second author). Dr. Kean was supported by a Career Development Award from the Department of Veterans Affairs, Rehabilitation Research and Development (IK2RX000879).

Notes

¹ SIDI is the subtraction of the sum of the pragmatic/social-interaction scales (i.e. Initiation, Nonverbal Communication, Social Relations and Interests) from the sum of the structural language scales (i.e. Speech, Syntax, Semantics and Coherence).

² The following scales were included in the PC-5: Coherence, Initiation, Scripted Language, Context and Nonverbal Communication.

Additional information

Funding

Funding was provided by an NIDCD grant R01DC011023 (awarded to the second author). Dr. Kean was supported by a Career Development Award from the Department of Veterans Affairs, Rehabilitation Research and Development (IK2RX000879).