The social competence of persons with developmental disabilities is generally regarded as predictive of community adjustment. This report describes the development and validation of a measure of social competence designed for use with individuals at all levels of functioning. The Assessment of Social Competence (ASC) represents both social functions and developmental hierarchies within those functions. Assessment progresses from the earliest manifestation of each function to mastery levels of performance as displayed by adults. Reliability and validity studies were conducted with large samples of children and youth (n = 140) and young adults (n = 161) with mental retardation and other disabilities. The results of these studies are presented, and a summary is provided of the strengths and limitations of the ASC. As an alternative to the predominant approach of direct observation of isolated social skill targets, the ASC offers a comprehensive and criterion-referenced assessment that could be useful in both descriptive and intervention social skill research.
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