Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Brief Observation of Social Communication Change (BOSCC)

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders

  • 76 Accesses

Description

The Brief Observation of Social Communication Change (BOSCC; Grzadzinski et al. 2016) is a treatment response measure of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms. The BOSCC is a behavioral coding scheme that is applied to 10–12 min videotaped social/play interactions between a child and a researcher or caregiver (play partner). The coding scheme was developed by expanding items from the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, second Edition (ADOS-2; Lord et al. 2012), to quantify more nuanced variation in ASD symptoms. The BOSCC has been shown to be sensitive to changes in ASD symptoms from pre- to post-treatment (Divan et al. 2018; Frost et al. 2019; Gengoux et al. 2019; Grzadzinski et al. 2016; Kim et al. 2019; Kitzerow et al. 2015; Pijl et al. 2016), was designed to be flexible to use across sites/studies and coded by trained coders who were relatively naïve to ASD. As a measure of global ASD symptom change, studies show the BOSCC is most effective at quantifying...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

Abbreviations

ADOS-2:

Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, second Edition

ASD:

Autism spectrum disorder

BOSCC:

Brief Observation of Social Communication Change

References and Readings

  • Anagnostou, E., Jones, N., Huerta, M., Halladay, A. K., Wang, P., Scahill, L., et al. (2015). Measuring social communication behaviors as a treatment endpoint in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Autism, 19(5), 622–636. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361314542955.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bolte, E. E., & Diehl, J. J. (2013). Measurement tools and target symptoms/skills used to assess treatment response for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 43(11), 2491–2501.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson, G., Rogers, S., Munson, J., Smith, M., Winter, J., Greenson, J., et al. (2010). Randomized, controlled trial of an intervention for toddlers with autism: The early start Denver model. Pediatrics, 125(1), e17–e23. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2009-0958.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Divan, G., Vajaratkar, V., Cardozo, P., Huzurbazar, S., Verma, M., Howarth, E., et al. (2018). The feasibility and effectiveness of PASS plus, a lay health worker delivered comprehensive intervention for autism Spectrum disorders: Pilot RCT in a rural low and middle income country setting. Autism Research. in press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Estes, A., Munson, J., Rogers, S., Greenson, J., Winter, J., & Dawson, G. (2015). Long-term outcomes of early intervention in 6-year- old children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 54(7), 580–587.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fletcher-Watson, S., Petrou, A., Scott-Barrett, J., Dicks, P., Graham, C., O’Hare, A., … & McConachie, H. (2016). A trial of an iPadâ„¢ intervention targeting social communication skills in children with autism. Autism, 20(7), 771–782.

    Google Scholar 

  • French, L., & Kennedy, E. M. (2018). Annual research review: Early intervention for infants and young children with, or at-risk of, autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 59(4), 444–456.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frost, K. M., Koehn, G. N., Russell, K. M., & Ingersoll, B. (2019). Measuring child social communication across contexts: Similarities and differences across play and snack routines. Autism Research, 12(4), 636–644.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gengoux, G. W., Abrams, D. A., Schuck, R., Millan, M. E., Libove, R., Ardel, C. M., … & Hardan, A. Y. (2019). A Pivotal Response Treatment Package for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: An RCT. Pediatrics, e20190178.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grzadzinski, R., Carr, T., Colombi, C., McGuire, K., Dufek, S., Pickles, A., & Lord, C. (2016). Measuring changes in social communication behaviors: Preliminary development of the brief observation of social communication change (BOSCC). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 46(7), 2464–2479.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grzadzinski, R. & Lord, C. (2019). Commentary: Insights into the Development of the Brief Observation of Social Communication Change (BOSCC). Journal of Mental Health and Clinical Psychology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guastella, A. J., Gray, K. M., Rinehart, N. J., Alvares, G. A., Tonge, B. J., Hickie, I. B., et al. (2015). The effects of a course of intranasal oxytocin on social behaviors in youth diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 56(4), 444–452. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12305.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, S. H., Grzadzinski, R., Martinez, K., & Lord, C. (2019). Measuring treatment response in children with autism spectrum disorder: Applications of the brief observation of social communication change to the autism diagnostic observation schedule. Autism, 23(5), 1176–1185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kitzerow, J., Teufel, K., Wilker, C., & Freitag, C. M. (2015). Using the brief observation of social communication change (BOSCC) to measure autism-specific development. Autism Research, 9, 940–950.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lord, C., Rutter, M., DiLavore, P., Risi, S., Gotham, K., & Bishop, S. (2012). Autism diagnostic observation schedule– 2nd edition (ADOS-2). Los Angeles: Western Psychological Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mullen, E. M. (1995). Mullen scales of early learning. Circle Pines: American Guidance Service.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nordahl-Hansen, A., Fletcher-Watson, S., McConachie, H., & Kaale, A. (2016). Relations between specific and global outcome measures in a social-communication intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 29, 19–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pijl, M. K., Rommelse, N. N., Hendriks, M., De Korte, M. W., Buitelaar, J. K., & Oosterling, I. J. (2016). Does the Brief Observation of Social Communication Change help moving forward in measuring change in early autism intervention studies? Autism, 1362361316669235.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sparrow, S. S., Cicchetti, D. V., & Balla, D. A. (2005). Vineland adaptive behavior scales, (Vineland-II). Circle Pines: American Guidance Services.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Rebecca Grzadzinski

Authors
  1. Rebecca Grzadzinski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rebecca Grzadzinski .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA

    Fred R. Volkmar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Grzadzinski, R. (2020). Brief Observation of Social Communication Change (BOSCC). In: Volkmar, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102308-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102308-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-6435-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-6435-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation