Measurement invariance of the Child Behavior Checklist in autistic toddlers

Abstract

BackgroundChallenging behavior has been examined in older children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but less is known about these behaviors in toddlers, due in part to variability in measurement and limited instruments available for this population. To address this need, this study examined the psychometric properties of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), a commonly used and widely validated measure of challenging behavior, in a group of toddlers with ASD. MethodParticipants included 496 toddlers aged 18–48 months with (n=398) and without (n= 100) a diagnosis of ASD. Psychometrics of the CBCL were analyzed including internal consistency, factor structure, and measurement invariance. ResultsConfirmatory factor analysis results indicated acceptable fit for the tested model, and internal consistency was largely acceptable. All levels of measurement invariance were tested for each subscale. The Emotional Reactivity, Anxious/Depressed, Withdrawn, and Aggressive Behavior subscales achieved scalar invariance, while the Attention Problems subscale achieved metric invariance, and the Somatic Complaints subscale did not achieve even configural invariance. ConclusionsResults indicate the current CBCL conceptualization of challenging behavior in autistic toddlers is consistent with such constructs in older autistic children and provide preliminary support for the use of the CBCL to assess for challenging behavior in toddlers with ASD. Measurement invariance (MI) analyses support the construct validity of the CBCL in toddlers with ASD. However, based on the results of the MI analyses, some caution is warranted with specific subscales when conducting group comparison analyses between toddlers with and without ASD.