We aim to provide a starting point toward the development of an evidence-based assessment of depression in children and adolescents. We begin by discussing issues relevant to the diagnosis and classification of child and adolescent depression. Next, we review the prevalence, selected clinical correlates, course, and treatment of juvenile…

Reviews the rationale and concepts involved in the behavioral evaluation of delinquents and provides several approaches and instruments for organizing information about youths in trouble. Provides a format and process for preparing a behavioral assessment report. (Author/LHW)

The Iowa Severity Rating Scales for Communication Disabilities provides a means for placing a priority on the needs of students requiring speech-language pathology services. The severity rating scale assists the clinician in case selection and suggests the intensity of the service delivery model. (Author/SW)

Adaptive behavior scales can be very helpful in the overall assessment of minority children. In some states they are mandatory. Their weaknesses, particularly with the AAMD Adaptive Behavior Scale, are sampling bias and appropriateness in the areas of culture, language, and socioeconomic status. (Author)

A simplified theory of the borderline-narcissistic personality is outlined as a stable configuration that can be located along a continuum of mental health functioning. Also described is a rating scheme used to test the applicability of this theory to practice. (Author)

On the basis of activities of a federally funded national center for school mental health, review of literature on principles for best practice in child and adolescent mental health and school health, and consultation with national experts and family members, a set of 10 principles for best practice in school mental health was developed. A survey…

This article reports on the use of a repertory grid as a tool for studying conceptual systems in line with Kelly's (1955) personal construct theory. Using 7-point construct continua, students rated the positions of major developmental theorists on various bipolar constructs (e.g., nature-nurture, continuity-discontinuity) representing salient…

Presents overview of Lazarus's multimodal therapy model and the Q-sort, an observer-evaluation scoring instrument. Outlines feasibility of integrating Q-sort within multimodal model. Describes both a preliminary attempt using expert raters to categorize Q-sort cards within the model and a case study on how to assess client by incorporating Q-sort…

Results indicate that the scale is psychometrically sound and has discriminant validity in relation to the Mosher Forced-Choice Guilt Inventory Sex Guilt subscale. The clinical implications of distinguishing between sexual anxiety and sexual guilt are discussed. (Author)

Discusses design, development, and evaluation of scales used in counseling psychology research. Describes methods of scale construction including the Thurstone, Q-sort, rank-order methods, Likert, semantic differential, Guttman, Rasch, and external criterion methods. Presents ways of evaluating newly developed scales. Discusses measurement versus…

Describes a specific empirical method for the systematic observation of examiner behavior during psychoeducational assessments, the Systematic Observation Scale for Assessments (SOS-A). Discusses development of the instrument and presents data on intra- and interobserver agreement. The instrument is regarded as an initially adequate method for…

Reports construction of editions of the child behavior profile for boys aged 12-16 and girls aged 6-11 and 12-16 years, as well as reliability and stability findings, comparisons between normal children and those referred for mental health services, and comparisons with findings for 6- to 11-year-old boys. (Author)

Behavioral assessment methods for measuring the social development of exceptional children include teacher nominations, rankings, rating scales, and checklists. Use of direct observation procedures in analogue (simulated) and naturalistic settings can pinpoint antecedents and consequences of social behavior and provide goals for intervention. (CL)

Faschingbauer offered guidelines in selecting MMPI short forms as substitutes for the MMPI. This reviews empirical studies of the clinical validity of MMPI short forms and discusses MMPI-168, not considered in Faschingbauer's earlier article. Empirical evidence favors the Faschingbauer Abbreviated MMPI and the MMPI-168 over others. (Author)

Examined the dimensionality of the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale. Factors were identified and labeled as Mathematics Text Anxiety and Numerical Anxiety. Factor-derived scales were developed and correlated with five specific anxiety scales and an arithmetic test. (Author)