An Initial Psychometric Evaluation of the CBCL 6-18 in a Sample of Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

Individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often present with co-occurring emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). The Child Behavior Checklist 6-18 (CBCL; Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001) is an EBD measure that contains several norm-referenced scales derived through factor analysis of data from the general pediatric population. The psychometric properties of this widely used and well-researched measure have not been evaluated in samples of youth with ASD. This study evaluated the CBCL's internal structure, scale reliability, criterion-related validity, and diagnostic accuracy using archival data from a well-characterized sample of youth with ASD (N = 122). Confirmatory factor analyses supported the unidimensionality of the CBCL's syndrome scales and its Internalizing-Externalizing factor structure. Significance tests indicated that many scales discriminated between two subgroups: a group of individuals with ASD+EBD and a group with ASD alone. Diagnostic accuracy analyses indicated that the CBCL had good sensitivity but low specificity for detecting co-occurring disorders. Results supported the use of the CBCL in conjunction with other clinical data when assessing for EBD in youth with ASD.

Figure 1. CFA Results for the two factor model

AD=Anxious/Depressed, WD=Withdrawn/Depressed, SC=Somatic Complaints, RB=Rule-Breaking Behavior, AB=Aggressive Behavior, Internal=Internalizing Domain, External=Externalizing Domain. Standardized factor loadings are embedded in the path connecting a latent factor with its indicators. Disturbance values (error variances) are presented immediately to the left of each indicator. Factor correlation is presented between the latent factors.