The Modified- Classroom ObservationScheduletoMeasureIntenticnaCommunication( M-COSMIC): EvaluationofReliabilityandValidity

Modified COSMIC 10

Vocalisation/Single Words and Phrase Speech, so as to be more appropriate for children with
broader-ranging abilities.

4.2 Participants

Participants were recruited upon completion of the Preschool Autism Communication
Trial (PACT; http://www.medicine.manchester.ac.uk/pact/). PACT enrollment was based on
referral by local UK service providers when children were aged between 2 and 5 years.
Subsequent diagnostic confirmation was made using the ADOS-G and ADI-R (full cohort n =
152 preschoolers meeting instrument cutoffs for autism). Invitation to participate in the current
study was extended to 45 families who completed their PACT involvement during the 10-month
period of M-COSMIC data collection, and where the London-based research team could feasibly
travel to conduct school visits². One family and three schools declined consent to participate,
resulting in a final sample of 41 children with ASD (38 males, 3 females) from diverse ethnic (n
= 20 white, 15 black, 2 Asian, 1 Hispanic, and 3 mixed race) and family backgrounds (n = 32
dual-parent and 9 single-parent). Fourteen families had annual incomes less than £20,000; 13
earned between £20,000 and £40,000; 9 earned between £40,000 and £60,000; and 5 earned over
£60,000.

4.3 Measures

At PACT intake, this subgroup were aged between 33 and 59 months (M = 45.2,
SD = 7.6). Amongst a battery of measures, the non-verbal subscales of the Mullen Scales
of Early Learning (MSEL, Mullen, 1995) were administered, yielding a non-verbal
Developmental Quotient (DQ) for each child (the average of visual reception and fine
motor age-equivalence scores/chronological age). Around 13 months later at PACT
follow-up, the ADOS-G (Lord et al. 2000; Module 1 n = 30; Module 2 n = 11) and the

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