Development of the Preschool Developmental Assessment Scale (PDAS) on children's social development.
The 29-item PDAS social domain gives BCBAs a fast, solid way to spot social delays in preschoolers.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team built a 29-item social scale for preschoolers. They call it the PDAS social domain.
They tested it on kids with developmental delays and typical peers. The whole screener takes about 15 minutes.
What they found
The PDAS social scores cleanly split typical preschoolers from those with delays.
Scores also moved up as kids got older, showing the tool tracks normal growth.
How this fits with other research
Cohen et al. (1990) did something similar with the 22-item PSBC parent checklist. Their tool also flagged autism-specific social gaps. The PDAS extends that work by giving teachers a quick classroom screener.
Zigman et al. (1997) used the PKBS and saw 4–5× higher social deficits in delayed preschoolers. The PDAS now replicates that gap with a shorter 29-item set.
Wang et al. (2011) warned that SSRS and PKBS may miss small intervention gains. The new PDAS has not yet been tested for tracking progress, so use it for first-pass screening only.
Why it matters
You now have a 15-minute, 29-item tool that spots social delays in preschoolers without long interviews. Add it to your intake packet to decide who needs a deeper social assessment. Pair it with parent tools like the PSBC or SSI for a fuller picture.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This paper aimed to describe the design and development of the social domain of the Preschool Developmental Assessment Scale (PDAS), which would be used for assessment of preschool children with different developmental disabilities. The original version of the social domain consisted of 30 items. Children were asked questions about their social development such as their relationship with others, understanding of social norms and rules, empathy and perspective taking. The test was administered to 324 children, including 240 children from preschools and 84 children with developmental disabilities. Rasch analysis was conducted, and all except one item were within the acceptable range of infit statistics. The revised 29-item version could well differentiate between children with typical development and children with developmental disabilities. It could also differentiate between children from different age groups. The revised version was estimated to take around 15 min to administer. The social domain of the PDAS was found to be a direct, quick yet reliable assessment tool for assessing the social development of preschool children.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2011 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2011.07.009