Development of a parental based screening tool of social cognition in children and adolescents

Social-cognitive abilities are often affected in developmental, neurological, and psychiatric disorders. However, current assessment tools tend to focus on specific processes and don't fully capture the diversity of this domain, leaving a gap in understanding the developmental links between its sub-components. In this study, we developed a parental questionnaire to evaluate social cognition of children and teenagers aged 3 to 17, drawing on real-life behaviours. Exploratory factor analyses of the 995 responses we collected support a four-factor structure encompassing mentalizing, emotion, social motivation, and prosociality. The psychometric properties of the questionnaire suggest that it provides a detailed assessment of social cognition across a range of ages. If implemented for screening in clinical settings, this tool could significantly reduce diagnostic delays and help guide neuropsychological assessments.