Initial examination of use of the Brief Observation of Social‐Communication Change (BOSCC) across home and school contexts

Abstract

This study investigated the potential influences of administration context on the measurement of child skills. The Brief Observation of Social‐Communication Change (BOSCC) was administered at two time points to preschool‐aged children with autism in two contexts: (1) at school by trained research staff and (2) at home by the parent. Participants were of ages 3–5 years (M = 4.27 years) old with a confirmed diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Of the 13 participants (nine male), eight were White, three Asian, one Black and one White/Black; all identified as non‐Hispanic. The social‐communication and Core total scores yield similar information in both contexts, but Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors and Other Abnormal Behavior subscales scores were not related. These results underscore the importance of purposeful selection of measures and their administration context.