A study compared the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) with the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised in 61 children (ages 4-16) with autism. Correlations between the test scores for DSM-IV criterion sets were on the order of 0.7. SRS scores were unrelated to I.Q. and exhibited inter-rater reliability on the order of 0.8. (Contains references.)…

Addresses the conceptualization, assessment, and treatment of social-emotional problems in preschool children. Promising findings, materials, and techniques are reviewed, such as the internalizing-externalizing dichotomy, developmental pathways, the Early Screening Project, the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales, behavioral momentum to…

Provides recommendations for improving the accuracy of diagnosing Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder using rating scales of procedures. Outlines strategies for managing the error intrinsic to the use of diagnostic measures, specifically behavior rating scales. Recommends a multiple stage procedure involving one or more levels of screening…

A study involving 41 mothers explored the relation of severity of functional impairment on the Childhood Autism Rating Scale-Parent Version to diagnosis, parenting stress, and child age. Children with autism received significantly higher ratings than did children with pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified. Severity predicted…

This article describes two studies that examined the concurrent and predictive validity of the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile (CSBS DP), a measure for identifying children less than 24 months old who are at risk for communication disorders. Findings support the use of prelinguistic predictors and the important…

This study reports on the standardization of the Scale for Assessing Emotional Disturbance. Data collected on 2,266 typical students (ages 5- 18) and 1,371 students with emotional disturbances led to the identification of six behavioral problem factors that correspond to the federal definition of emotional disturbance and were highly internally…

This study assessed the validity of the Children's Physical Activity Form, an observational instrument which measures the intensity of children's physical activity, by comparing observer judgments of subjects' (N=40) activity intensity level with min-by-min heart rate values. Results document the validity of the instrument for observing physical…

This study compared parent and teacher behavioral ratings for 77 children (ages 5-16) diagnosed as having attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADD/H), attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity (ADD/WO), or learning disabilities (LD). ADD/WO and LD children were rated similarly on symptoms of withdrawal and impulsivity but differed…

Forty children with mental retardation were compared on everyday leisure-time behaviors with children without mental retardation matched for mental age (MA) or chronological age (CA). Although MA best predicted overall functioning on leisure-time behavior, CA best predicted both single highest behavior performed and highest behavior considered too…

The Problem Behavior Questionnaire is an indirect functional assessment instrument for use with students presenting behavior problems in general education settings. Preliminary studies indicate that the questionnaire offers a practical, easy assessment method which considers the potential effects of peer attention on problem behavior. The…

Analysis of social competence and problem behaviors for 164 special education students in grades K-3, using the Social Skills Rating System, found weak to moderate relationships between parents' and teachers' ratings. Gender comparisons revealed mixed findings. Results provide evidence for the instrument's convergent validity and suggest that…

Peer ratings of depression, anxiety, and aggression were compared with 2 groups of children, ages 8 to 12: 142 elementary students and 86 children who were psychiatric inpatients. Peer ratings corresponded with child self-reports on all three traits, and peer ratings of depression and aggression corresponded with teacher ratings. (SW)

Describes a method for training technically qualified personnel to become competent instructors for corporate and industrial training programs. The method identifies 24 teacher behaviors that promote effective learning, and a copy of an Instructor Feedback Observation Form which includes these behaviors is provided. (two references) (LAE)

The Process Skills Rating Scales were designed to rate how well a student uses those process skills that develop an ability to think, reason, and search for knowledge independently and to communicate and interact effectively with all members of society. Forms are available for students (elementary and secondary), teachers, and parents. (JDD)

This paper reviews basic social validity assessment techniques, discusses the constructs underlying direct magnitude estimation (DME), illustrates the use of DME for performing social validity evaluations of spontaneous language samples (with 3 brain-injured children, ages 10-15, and 3 controls), and discusses the relationship between subjective…