Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2)

The Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2) distinguishes autism spectrum conditions from other conditions by identifying the presence and extent of social impairment in such children. The SRS-2 measures deficits in social behaviour according to these subscales: 

Ψ Social Awareness
Ψ Social Cognition 
Ψ Social Communication
Ψ Social Motivation 
Ψ Restricted Interests and Repetitive Behavior 

The SRS-2 has 4 rating forms across 3 age ranges, each taking about 15 to 20 minutes to complete.

Ψ Preschool Form: ages 2 years 6 months to 4 years 6 months
Ψ School-Age Form: ages 4 to 18
Ψ Adult Form: ages 19 and up, completed by family or relative
Ψ Adult Self-Report Form: ages 19 and up, self-report

Measures deficits in social skills

The SRS-2 is one of the most reliable measures for social deficits related to ASD. Experienced child psychologists can assess social impairment in various natural settings (e.g school and home) and the specific ways in which such impairments manifest themselves. As the test also covers a wide age range, it is also useful for measuring response to intervention over time.

Pair SRS-2 with another assessment on ASD

However, that said, researchers are still in the process of collecting more data on the stability of SRS-2. Using results from SRS-2 for planning instructions and interpreting sub-scale results should be conducted with caution.

We recommend pairing this with other scales on ASD, such as the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, 2nd edition, or the Autism Diagnostic Interview (Revised), for a more comprehensive understanding of you or your loved one’s condition.