Alireza Aghaz - Speech Therapist (MSc.), Department of Speech Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
Yalda Kazemi - Assistant Professor, Department of Speech Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Afsaneh Karbasi-Amel - Assistant Professor of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Behavioural Sciences Research Centre, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Mahbubeh Nakhshab - Lecturer, Department of Speech Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.

Background: This study examined the diagnostic accuracy of the children's communication checklist-Persian version (CCC-Persian) in differentiating children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) from typically developing (TD) children. Methods: The parents of ۴۷ children with ASD and the parents of ۱۰۴ TD children completed the CCC-Persian. The children were monolingual Persian-speakers between ۵ and ۱۱ years of age. The sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios, and cut-off score of the CCC-Persian were calculated in identifying children with ASD. Results: The mean pragmatic composite score (PCS) of the CCC-Persian was significantly lower in children with ASD than in the TD children (P>۰.۰۵). Corresponding cut-off score, sensitivity, and specificity were ۱۰۷, ۸۶%, and ۹۷%, respectively. The positive and negative likelihood ratios were obtained as about ۳۰ and ۰.۱۴, respectively. Conclusion: The CCC-Persian has the potential to be used as a valid clinical tool for diagnosing pragmatic language impairment or screening ASD in Persian-speaking children.

sensitivity, specificity, Pragmatic deficit, Autism, Children' s Communication Checklist, Screening