Validation of the Italian Version of the Developmental Disability-Child Global Assessment Scale (DD-CGAS)

The aim of this study is to validate the Italian version of the Developmental Disability-Child Global Assessment Scale (DD-CGAS), a scale developed to assess global functioning in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). Methods: Following the validation procedures used for the English version of the scale, inter-rater reliability, temporal stability and convergent validity were assessed in a group of 48 children with ASD and temporal stability in a subset of 42 subjects. Results: Inter-rater reliability and temporal stability (ICC) were respectively 0.78 and 0.79; effect size for convergent validity were moderate to large; the pre-post DD-CGAS change had an effect size of 0.59. Conclusions: The Italian version of the DD-CGAS is a reliable instrument for measuring global functioning of children with ASD.