Development and validation of the social-emotional rating scale for autism spectrum disorder (SERA) in an Indian sample

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that occurs during the developmental period and affects overall cognitive, emotional, social, and physical health. Comprehensive screening for ASD can assist in diagnosis and intervention planning. The primary aim of this study was to develop and validate a screening tool for ASD based on the diagnostic guidelines of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). The Social-Emotional Rating Scale for Autism Spectrum Disorder (SERA) was validated with 504 participants, including healthcare professionals who have worked with individuals with ASD and parents/primary caregivers of children with ASD. A confirmatory factor analysis on 78 participants with ASD and 27 participants without ASD indicated a good fit for the data. As an intervention planning tool, the developed SERA appears promising for identifying a person’s social-emotional functioning level in line with autistic characteristics.