An inventory was constructed to screen children for psychiatric impairment. Factor analysis of the questionnaire items of child behavior yielded 18 factors. The 7 factors with the highest correlations with total psychiatric impairment were selected for the inventory, each represented by 5 items. (Author)

The current intervention trend for many of the mental health and behavioral problems faced by today's youth is an integrative approach that involves the community, families, and schools. Clinical assessment for serious mental health and behavioral problems can be an important component in the development of school-based screening programs. The…

The Problem-Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers (POSIT) screens for multiple problems among adolescents at risk for substance use. A shortened version of the POSIT was developed, using factor analysis, and correlational and reliability analyses. The POSIT-SF shows potential for a reliable and cost-efficient screen for youth with substance…

This article presents position statements, issue briefs, and resolutions and consensus statements of the National Association of School Nurses (NASN). The Position Statements include: (1) Allergy/Anaphylaxis Management in the School Setting; (2) Caseload Assignments; (3) Child Mortality in the School Setting; (4) Chronic Health Conditions, Managed…

Universal screening is a critical prerequisite to providing early school-based prevention and intervention services for students at risk for or with academic, behavioral, or emotional difficulties. Although use of academic and behavioral screening has become more prevalent, criteria for making informed decisions about appropriate screening tools…

Forty-four scales are described that access psychopathology and/or behavior problems in children (under 18 years of age). Excluded are tests of intelligence, intellectual functioning, brain development, cognitive development, perception, and projective tests. Scales included in this review are suitable for clinical and epidemiological research,…

The validity of the subscales of the Reiss Screen for Maladaptive Behavior in an institutional population was examined by correlating these scores with the Psychopathology Instrument for Mentally Retarded Adults, the Aberrant Behavior Checklist, and programmatic measures. Results support previous research on Reiss total score validity, though…

Background: Out of area placements for people with challenging behaviour represent an expensive and often ineffective strategy for meeting the needs of this service user group. Methods: More than 800 agencies and service settings in a large area of South Wales were screened to identify children and adults with challenging behaviour against a…

As part of the Combating Autism Act of 2006, the members of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) are required to develop an annual "Summary of Advances" to describe each year's top advances in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research. These advances represent significant progress in the early diagnosis of ASD, understanding the…

The paper describes the development and use of the Behavior Evaluation Scale (BES), an instrument designed to rate behavior problems for diagnosis, assist in developing individualized education programs (IEPs), document progress resulting from intervention, and collect data for research purposes. The uses of the BES in screening, diagnosis, IEP…

The study compared performance of very low birthweight (VLBW) children at 5 years of age who were enrolled in regular preschool and kindergarten classes with matched classmate controls on cognitive measures and teacher rated classroom behavior. Outcome measures included the Slosson Intelligence Test, Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration,…

Because children with learning or behavior disorders tend to have multiple difficulties, assessment should include the areas of inner control, intersensory integration, reasoning, emotional adjustment, social adjustment, and developmental and social background. (DB)

Reports the clinical validity of the Process for Assessment of Effective Student Functioning. A clinical team studied 300 representative second and fifth graders. Found the Process was valid for predicting independent clinical judgments of the status of these children, and located potentially handicapped children better than teacher referral.…

The purpose of the study was to establish developmental norms for maternal-rated problem behaviors within a disadvantaged group of preschool children. The data are discussed in terms of their utility in assisting the school psychologist to select appropriate intervention strategies for the preschool child. (Author)