Developed the Toddler Behavior Checklist (TBC) using parental reports of the frequencies of 103 patterns of behavior in children from 9 to 48 months old. Five scales were derived from factor analysis: Oppositional, Immaturity, Emotional Instability, Physical Aggression, and Shyness. Four scales demonstrated excellent reliability; reliability of…

Responds to Lustig's (1987) critique of Bales and Cohen's (1979) interpersonal rating forms. Results are reported from a test of the Bales and Cohen rating forms administered to 145 subjects from a variety of organizations, and revisions are proposed based on methodological and theoretical considerations. (TE)

Three methods used in applied behavioral analysis research and appropriate for conducting a functional assessment of problem behavior in persons with mental retardation are described. They are informant assessment (e.g., behavioral interviews, rating scales, and questionnaires), direct observation assessment, and experimental analysis. (Author/DB)

A study of third- and fourth-grade students found no significant differences between underachieving and normally achieving children for the measures of cognitive-impulsivity, selective attention, and sustained attention. However, significant differentiation was provided by teacher ratings indicating poorer classroom behavior, lack of attention,…

The study compared the behavioral ratings of regular classroom and special education teachers of the problem behavior and adaptive functioning of 31 adolescents with serious emotional disturbances. Results are discussed in terms of the literature on teacher tolerance of problem behavior and the effects of classroom setting upon teacher judgments.…

Validates a behavior inventory that was developed to measure the physical and psychological abuse of women by their partners. For the study, 100 men and 78 women were divided into groups of abusers/abused and nonabusers/nonabused. Significant differences between the abusers and nonabusers groups' scores supported the instrument's soundness. (RJM)

The behavior of 120 children (grades 9-12) was rated by 2 groups of teachers using the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist. The correlation coefficients obtained indicate low to moderate relationship between teacher ratings of the same child, with the strongest correlations for the subscale Attention Problems-Immaturity. (Author/JDD)

Parents and teachers of 83 young children diagnosed with a pervasive developmental disorder rated each child on the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS). Although there was good agreement between informants on the VABS, there was virtually no agreement on the ABC, with parents reporting more autistic and…

Compares student evaluation terms used by psychologists and educators. Provides examples of characteristics to be considered and charts to be used in student evaluation. Shows that evaluation used in a test program acquainted new teachers with students' characteristics. Explains that the program includes categories for studies, behavior, civic…

This replication study found that only 16 of 55 raters agreed on the category of reinforcement maintaining a disabled individual's self-injurious behavior after using the Motivation Assessment Scale. Additionally, only 15 percent of the correlation coefficients obtained were above 80 percent, and none of the reliability scores was above 80…

Forty parents of children with autism or pervasive developmental disorder completed the Wing Subgroups Questionnaire, developed for subclassifying children into one of L. Wing's three hypothesized subgroups. Results indicated that the questionnaire has adequate external criterion-referenced validity, with similar subgroup ratings made by…

This study of five month olds compared global maternal opinion with reports on direct observation by mothers and observers. A common set of behaviors thought to index temperament was evaluated. Observers recorded infant behaviors on two home visits. Mother-observer agreement for assessments based on home visits was significant. (SH)

Twenty-six children (ages 5-12) with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder were tested before and after treatment with methylphenidate. Few performance tests predicted clinical response to medication. Chronological age and performance on a memory distraction task and the Graduated Holes Task were moderately correlated with clinical outcome.…

This article describes an environmental inventory, "Analyzing the Communication Environment," which allows the evaluator to analyze the extent to which specific activities encourage functional communication for particular students with severe communication impairments. The inventory may be used to compare different activities across the student's…

A study investigated how 15 children (ages 6 to 10) who identified themselves as having attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) would differ from 74 adult-identified boys (ages 6 to 10). Although no significant differences were found in observed disruptive behavior, the child self-identified group endorsed significantly more internalizing…