The Reiss Screen for Maladaptive Behavior was factor analyzed in 2 institutional samples and 1 community sample of persons with mental retardation (total n=353). Factor analysis revealed no strong justification for the instrument's seven scales. An alternative three-factor solution, comprising intrapersonal maladaptive behavior, psychotic…

Examines the comparative validity of a parent-report scale and a self-report scale, both designed to assess behavioral and emotional problems. Results, based on 111 children in regular education classrooms, indicate that parent reports were more sensitive to overt behavioral problems, whereas self-reports were sensitive to mood disturbances and…

Military-style residential treatment for adolescents with academic and conduct problems is an increasingly popular alternative to traditional school-based services. However, dropout from "boot camp" programs is a primary reason for their high cost. Social-emotional functioning before referral may differentiate adolescents who…

"SAMHSA News" is the national newsletter of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Published six times a year (bimonthly) by SAMHSA's Office of Communications, SAMHSA News contains information about the latest substance abuse and mental health treatment and prevention practices, recent statistics on mental health and…

Objective: To test the validity of the MacArthur Health and Behavior Questionnaire (HBQ) using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis to determine optimal thresholds for the HBQ in predicting Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Version-IV (DISC-IV)diagnoses. The roles of child sex, level of impairment, and physical health in…

The evaluation of a behavioral screening procedure for the detection of both conduct disordered and withdrawn children was implemented in two phases among children enrolled in a rural Head Start program. The first phase focused on preliminary identification, through teacher rankings and classroom observation, of a population of the most withdrawn…

Developmental-academic and social-emotional checklists completed by teachers were used by the Hawaii Department of Health teams to screen preschool age children. The checklists reliably distinguished between 1,376 developmental referrals and 226 non-referrals. The developmental checklist data indicated that the teachers' most frequent…

Four models for screening for children with psychological problems are presented, each having a goal, a screening procedure, and a criterion against which the effectiveness of the procedure can be evaluated. The four are the illness model, the developmental model, the crisis model, and the match-mismatch model. Implications of models are…

Mass screening consisted primarily of teachers rating the frequency of all primary grade children's acting-out, moody-withdrawn, and learning problem behaviors. The mass screening procedure employed is discussed as an effective procedure and suggestions are offered which could increase its utility. (Author)

Examined parental ratings of preschoolers referred for psychological evaluation due to management problems (N=48) and preschoolers who had never been referred for psychological services (N=48). Results showed significant differences between the groups in ratings of six temperament variables. Parental ratings were correlated only for the…

Describes the development and use of an instrument designed to screen young children for emotional and behavioral problems. Focusing on play, language and communication, feelings, relationships, movement and coordination, and regulation of body functions, the instrument can be used by teachers in nursery schools, day care centers, and Head Start…

The "Behavior Problems Inventory" (BPI) is a behavior rating instrument for self-injurious, stereotypic, and aggressive/destructive behavior in mental retardation and other developmental disabilities. Evaluation with 432 residents in a developmental center found the BPI to be a reliable (retest reliability, internal consistency, and…

Presented are normative data, collected on an unselected sample of 302 seven- and nine-year-old children, for the Missouri Children's Behavior Checklist. The potential usefulness of the checklist as an aid in making important clinical decisions is discussed, as is the need for more extensive normative data. (Editor/SJL)

Accurate, early screening is a prerequisite for indicated interventions intended to prevent development of externalizing disorders and delinquent behaviors. Using the Fast Track longitudinal sample of 396 children drawn from high-risk environments, the authors varied assumptions about base rates and examined effects of multiple-time-point and…

This study involved a longitudinal analysis of academic skills and problem behavior through elementary school. The purposes of the study were (a) to explore the interactions between reading skills and problem behavior, and (b) to determine the value of regular screening assessments in predicting which students would not respond to school-wide…