Brief Report: Parent-Teacher Discrepancies on the Developmental Social Disorders Scale (BASC-2) in the Assessment of High-Functioning Children with ASD

This study compared parent and teacher ratings of ASD-related symptoms of 120 high-functioning children, ages 6–12 years with ASD (HFASD) using the Developmental Social Disorders (DSD) scale of the BASC-2. DSD ratings (parent and teacher) were significantly higher than normative estimates. The cross-informant comparison was significantly higher for parents (vs. teachers), and correlations (ICC and Pearson) between the informant groups were significant (but low in magnitude). Agreement among parents and teachers accurately placed 81 % of cases above the at-risk cutpoint for symptoms of ASD, and agreement was highest in the at-risk range of perceived symptoms. Additional analyses indicated a significant difference in the trend across the parent-teacher discrepancies, and no significant moderators of the discrepancies. Implications for assessment are provided.