Brief report: Use of DQ for estimating cognitive ability in young children with autism.

The team asked if PEP-R Developmental Quotients could stand in for full IQ scores in preschoolers with autism.

They gave both the PEP-R and the Stanford-Binet Form E to the same children and checked how well the numbers lined up.

PEP-R DQ scores tracked closely with Stanford-Binet IQ scores.

The link was strong enough that clinicians can use the shorter PEP-R when time or child cooperation is tight.

Jónsdóttir et al. (2007) extends this work by showing DQ scores stay stable across the preschool years, so a single early PEP-R snapshot remains useful.

Girard et al. (2022) adds a warning: for minimally verbal children, add an adaptive measure like the Vineland before you call a low DQ a true delay.

Coolican et al. (2008) profiles the same Stanford-Binet in autism and finds a non-verbal > verbal split, reminding us that any single IQ-type number hides sub-test detail.

You can swap in the PEP-R when a full IQ battery is too much for a young client. Just remember to pair low scores with adaptive data before you label global delay, and expect the usual non-verbal boost seen in autism. One solid DQ at intake can guide program intensity and parent expectations without extra testing stress.