Impairment in the development of reciprocal social interaction and other social skills is one of the defining characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). There is a need for assessment tools that will help guide social skills interventions and document outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the potential usefulness of two…

This study evaluated the effects of a parent training program on the interactive skills of parents of children with autism in the People's Republic of China. Twenty-seven families of children with autism in a northeastern city of China were randomly assigned to either the training or the control group. Parents received a total of 20 h of training…

Research showing how upward social comparison breeds competitive behavior has so far conflated local comparisons in "task" performance (e.g. a test score) with comparisons on a more general "scale" (i.e. an underlying skill). Using a ranking methodology (Garcia, Tor, & Gonzalez, 2006) to separate task and scale comparisons, Studies 1-2 reveal that…

Two variations of an alternative method to construct behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS) are suggested. The traditional and two simplified methods were used to develop scales for teacher performance evaluation. The shortcut derivation method is recommended, as it requires less construction time. (Author/GK)

Professionals and 16 mothers of disabled infants/toddlers completed the Evaluation and Programing System-I and the Parent Form Level I, respectively. Results indicated moderate to high correlations between professionals' assessments and mothers' assessments, though mothers tended to rate children higher. (Author/JDD)

Two classification methods, latent class cluster analysis and cluster analysis, are used to identify groups of child behavioral adjustment underlying a sample of elementary school children aged 6 to 11 years. Behavioral rating information across 14 subscales was obtained from classroom teachers and used as input for analyses. Both the procedures…

Assessed the effectiveness of covert modification procedures in an assertion training program. All treatment groups were superior to the control in behavioral ratings of assertiveness during the posttest in those situations that had been employed previously in treatment; two were superior in those that had not been used, providing evidence of…

Assessing impairment is an explicit component of current psychiatric diagnostic systems. A brief parent and teacher rating scale for assessing impairment was developed and studied using attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as an exemplar disorder. The psychometric properties of the Impairment Rating Scale (IRS) were measured in 4…

The relationship between the Scales of Independent Behavior (SIB) and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (VABS) was investigated, with 53 children as subjects. Specifically, the study sought to examine the convergent and discriminant validities of the long forms of the SIB and the VABS and to ascertain the accuracy of classification of…

The comparative validity of observations recorded by volunteer telephone crisis workers was examined. To assess workers' listening and response skills, an instrument was devised to rate callers' expressed stress level, confidence in self, confidence in using other community resources, and duration of stress. Groups of 10 workers were invited to…

Three groups of 18 children were selected for this study, one group with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), one group with developmental delays in which ASD was ruled out (DD), and one group with typical development (TD), from a pool of 3026 children who were screened with the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile (CSBS…

The Psychotic Behavior Rating Scale uses a factor analysis approach to aid in differential diagnosis of autism, schizophrenia, mental retardation, aphasia, and other severe handicaps. The scale is compared with five existing qualitatively developed instruments, noting similarities and dissimilarities among the various scales. (Author/JDD)

Direct assessments of the accuracy with which raters can use a rating instrument are presented. This study demonstrated how surplus behavioral incidents scaled during the development of Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS) can be used effectively in the evaluation of the newly developed scales. Construction of scenarios of hypothetical…

Seventeen of the Child Well-Being Scales were used as measures of the physical and psychological care of children. Comparisons between neglectful families and low-income control families yielded predicted differences. Composite indices showed good internal consistency. Concurrent validity was supported. Scales reliably classified neglectful and…

This study examined teachers' behavioral ratings of young children (ages 5 and 6) with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A study group consisting of 30 children with formal diagnoses of ADHD and a comparison group of 30 children without ADHD were developed using randomized matching procedures. Teachers of these children…