Measuring social communication behaviors as a treatment endpoint in individuals with autism spectrum disorder.
Only six social-communication tools are trial-ready for autism—use them to keep your data in line with the research base.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Anagnostou et al. (2015) asked experts to pick the best tools for tracking social communication in autism drug trials. They looked at 38 checklists, tests, and rating forms. A panel of scientists and clinicians voted on which ones were trial-ready.
What they found
Only six tools made the cut. The rest lacked solid proof that they measure change over time. The short list gives researchers a common yardstick so trials can be compared apples-to-apples.
How this fits with other research
Pacia et al. (2021), Tiede et al. (2019), and Han et al. (2025) all pooled studies that used the same six tools. These later reviews show the tools can catch real gains from parent coaching and naturalistic ABA. Together they extend the 2015 list by proving the measures work outside of drug trials.
Wigham et al. (2021) did a similar job for trauma questionnaires in autistic adults. Both papers use systematic rules to vet tools, showing the field is moving toward shared, high-quality measures.
Why it matters
If you run social-skills groups or track insurance goals, pick one of the six trial-ready tools. Using the same measure as published trials lets you show families solid benchmarks. It also speeds up team meetings—everyone already knows what the score means.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Social communication impairments are a core deficit in autism spectrum disorder. Social communication deficit is also an early indicator of autism spectrum disorder and a factor in long-term outcomes. Thus, this symptom domain represents a critical treatment target. Identifying reliable and valid outcome measures for social communication across a range of treatment approaches is essential. Autism Speaks engaged a panel of experts to evaluate the readiness of available measures of social communication for use as outcome measures in clinical trials. The panel held monthly conference calls and two face-to-face meetings over 14 months. Key criteria used to evaluate measures included the relevance to the clinical target, coverage of the symptom domain, and psychometric properties (validity and reliability, as well as evidence of sensitivity to change). In all, 38 measures were evaluated and 6 measures were considered appropriate for use, with some limitations. This report discusses the relative strengths and weaknesses of existing social communication measures for use in clinical trials and identifies specific areas in need of further development.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2015 · doi:10.1177/1362361314542955