Courtney Bolton’s research while affiliated with University of California, Los Angeles and other places

Deficits in social interaction and communication skills are the common impairment shared by all individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), regardless of cognitive or language ability (Carter, Davis, Klin, & Volkmar, 2005). Broadly, social deficits often observed across the autism spectrum and throughout the lifespan include poor social communication and impaired social cognition. These social impairments do not appear to improve as a result of development or maturation; in fact, when left untreated, they can become more apparent during adolescence and adulthood with the increasing complexity and demands of social interactions (Laushey & Heflin, 2000; White, Keonig & Scahill, 2007; Schall & McDonough, 2010).

Researchers examined the concurrent and predictive validity of a brief (12-item) teacher-rated school readiness screener, the Kindergarten Student Entrance Profile (KSEP), using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to examine associations between (N = 78) children’s social-emotional (SE) and cognitive (COG) readiness with measures of behavioral/emotional risk and early literacy skills throughout kindergarten. Results indicated statistically significant associations between both subscales of the KSEP (SE and COG) with all outcome variables. Findings provide validity evidence in support of the KSEP as an initial gate in the universal screening process to inform educators on the readiness of incoming kindergarteners.