Initial Validation of the Mandarin Translation of the Stanford Social Dimensions Scale (SSDS).
The Mandarin SSDS is ready for clinical use with Chinese-speaking families.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Ge et al. (2024) translated the Stanford Social Dimensions Scale into Mandarin. They wanted to see if the new version still measures five parts of social life in autistic children.
Parents filled out the 33-item form twice, two weeks apart. Kids were autistic, neurotypical, or had other diagnoses.
What they found
The Mandarin SSDS held together. Internal consistency was excellent and scores stayed stable across two weeks.
The five-factor structure matched the English original. The scale also lined up with other social and autism measures as expected.
How this fits with other research
Lugo-Marín et al. (2019) did the same kind of job for Spanish-speaking adults with the Autism Quotient Short Form. Both studies ran the same checks: reliability, test-retest, and convergent validity. The difference is age and language.
Hedley et al. (2010) also crossed cultures. They showed the Spanish ADEC-SP correctly flagged Mexican toddlers with autism. Like the SSDS, the tool kept its psychometric strength after translation.
Seung et al. (2015) found the Korean M-CHAT needed a follow-up interview to stay accurate. The SSDS did not report such a step, but both papers remind us: translation is only half the battle; local validation is the other half.
Why it matters
If you serve Mandarin-speaking families you now have a brief, free tool that captures social motivation, communication, and unusual approach. Use it during intake or to track change. Pair it with direct observation and you will have a fuller picture of the child's social world.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study aimed to validate the Mandarin translation of the Stanford Social Dimensions Scale (SSDS). The initial validation sample consisted of 480 children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (Mage = 9.35). Discriminant validity was appraised by comparing relevant SSDS scores among samples of children with ASD, typical development (TD) (N = 160, Mage = 7.16), and non-ASD but Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDDs) (N = 170, Mage = 5.08). Confirmatory application of the Exploratory Structural Equation Modelling indicated that a five-factor model encompassing Social Motivation (SM), Social Affiliation (SA), Expressive Social Communication (ESC), Social Recognition (SR) and Unusual Approach (UA) provided adequate to excellent fit to the data in ASD group ([CFI] = .908, [TLI] = .930, [RMSEA] = .052, [SRMR] = .028). The factor loadings of most items constituting SM, SA, ESC, and SR factors were aligned with the original factor structure in the US sample, except items on the UA factor that showed lower loadings. The internal consistency was .93-.96, and test-retest reliability was .86. Discriminate validity was excellent, with the ASD group showing significantly lower scores compared to non-ASD NDDs and TD groups. Convergent and divergent validity of the SSDS was strong, as indexed by the pattern of correlations with relevant Social Responsiveness Scale, second edition (SRS-2), and Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) domains. This study provided preliminary validation of the Mandarin translation of the SSDS by largely replicating the original factor structure and showing evidence for strong discriminant, convergent, and divergent validity. Potential areas where further refinement and potential expansion of the SSDS are needed were identified.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2024 · doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2020.08.444