Measurement invariance of Child Behavior Checklist internalizing and externalizing factors between non-speaking/partially verbal and speaking autistic children

Abstract

BackgroundThe Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) is commonly used to screen for emotional and behavioral concerns (EBC) in autistic children; however, few studies have tested the measurement invariance across language groups. MethodThe current study conducted a multi-group confirmatory factor analysis to examine the factorial invariance of the broadband internalizing and externalizing factor structure between 311 speaking and 1778 non-speaking/partially verbal (NSPV) autistic children using the Simons Simplex Collection (N = 2089), which represents a specific phenotypic presentation of autism. ResultsThe two-factor structure achieved configural and metric but not scalar invariance, suggesting that, while the CBCL appears useful as a measure of EBC in autistic youth within language groups in our sample, the Internalizing and Externalizing domain scores might not be comparable between language groups due to measurement bias. ConclusionsWhile EBC in autistic children can be measured using the CBCL, comparisons between NSPV and speaking children should be approached with caution. Measures that demonstrate invariance across language groups are a critical research priority in understanding how EBC manifest across ability levels, particularly in the development of appropriate mental health interventions. Considerations for practical implications of scalar non-invariance are discussed.