The Preschool Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (PreBERS) is a standardized, norm-referenced instrument that assesses the emotional and behavioral strengths of preschool children. Two studies that investigated the test-retest and inter-rater reliability of the PreBERS are reported. In the first study, teachers rated preschool children (N = 96)…

Behavior ratings and self-report measures of child and adolescent psychopathology are often used to explore the types and extent of psychological disorders in youth. Yet a review of the literature suggests that parent, teacher, and self-report of psychopathology are not generally highly correlated. Moreover, even among the same type of rater…

Standardized rating scales remain the primary mechanism through which child behaviors are recorded. Despite the many advantages of such systems, the documented lack of agreement among different informants' ratings of the same child remains a pervasive problem for clinicians. This study examines the degree to which observed behavior ratings were…

The interrater reliability of three interaction scales--the Maternal Behavior Rating Scale, the Rating Scales of Mother-Child Interaction, and the Teaching Skills Inventory--were estimated with four statistical techniques. The estimates varied widely, both within and across the three interaction scales. Suggestions are offered to help researchers…

The Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders (SSBD), a multistage screening system designed to identify elementary school--age children at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders, was evaluated for use with middle and junior high school students. During SSBD Stage 1, teachers identified 123 students in grades 6 through 9 with…

An evaluation of the validity of direct observation measures of pupil classroom behaviors is presented. Three types of measures are discussed: molar, molecular, and molecular-composite. Consistent support for the validity of molar and molecular-composite types of measures is revealed. (Author/LMO)

The Quebec Adaptive Behavior Scale (QABS) is widely used in Quebec (Canada) to assess behavior of people with mental retardation in educational, vocational, residential or hospital settings. This study estimated the interrater agreement and test-retest reliability of the QABS. To determine test-retest reliability, the QABS was completed by 27…

The Gilliam Autism Rating Scale was developed to identify individuals with autism in research and clinical settings. It has benefited from wide use and acceptance but has received little empirical attention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the construct and diagnostic validity, interrater reliability, and effects of participant…

Social interactions between children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and their teachers, peers, and parents are discussed. Problematic interactions may depend on social skills deficits. Changing the focus to ADHD children who are not experiencing social skills deficits may prove beneficial. A review of the previous literature…

Group process and rating techniques were used to create a scale for measuring severity and frequency of 24 problem behaviors in institutionalized mentally retarded persons. A substantial correlation was found between scores and staff-time allocations, indicating usefulness of the scale as a predictor of staffing requirements for behavior…