Twenty rehabilitation patients were assessed on their activities of daily living using the Barthel Index, and were also observed by two occupational therapists in a simulated home unit. Results indicated good inter-observer reliability, and good agreement between asking the patient and professional observation of the patient. (JDD)

The psychometric integrity of a short form of the Questionnaire on Resources and Stress was evaluated, based on data provided by 66 mothers and 66 fathers of 33 handicapped and 33 nonhandicapped preschool children. Alpha reliability, factor structure, and construct validity analyses indicated that the measure has reasonable psychometric integrity.…

The reliability and validity of a newly constructed instrument, the Breast Self-Examination Proficiency Rating Instrument, was tested with 84 instructed and 80 uninstructed nursing students. Results support beginning reliability and preliminary validity when the instrument is used in a controlled setting. (SLD)

Four staff members completed 3 questionnaires evaluating quantitative and qualitative aspects of compulsive and autistic behaviors of 17 young autistic adults in a farmstead residential facility. Results affirmed the utility and applicability of obsessive-compulsive assessment devices in evaluating behavior of autistic adults. (Author/DB)

This study describes validation data for qualitative and quantitative writing measures useful with a full range of students, including special education students, in grades three through five. The study looked for consistent administration and scoring, sensitivity in differentiating groups of students, relation to other accepted assessments, and…

This study examined the relationship between scores on the Behaviour Disorder Scale (BDS) and other assessments of challenging behavior in 100 adolescent and adult Australians with intellectual disabilities. The study found that the BDS was reliable and could be used to identify people with intellectual disabilities who exhibit behavioral…

Reliability and validity of self-reported behavior within a deviant population are examined using data from 2 interviews with 323 narcotics addicts conducted 10 years apart (1974-75 and 1985-86). Results complement existing reliability and validity studies of alcohol use, and suggest that quality information can be obtained from heroin users. (SLD)

Measurement and psychometric quality of the Sternberg task (S. Sternberg, 1966, 1969), a memory search task, was investigated with 78 undergraduates. Individual performance was fairly homogeneous across responses, fairly unstable over time, and fairly stable across stimulus content. Implications for individual differences research are discussed.…

A study tested the validity of the Diagnostic Assessment for the Severely Handicapped-II (DASH-II) for determining the presence of mania (bipolar disorder) in 22 individuals with severe mental retardation. Results found the mania subscale to be internally consistent and able to be used to classify manic and control subjects accurately. (Author/CR)

A study involving 200 adults with mental retardation investigated the interrater reliability and internal consistency of the Matson Evaluation of Drug Side Effects (MEDS), a scale designed to evaluate commonly identified side effects with a psychometrically sound checklist. The MEDS had excellent consistency across raters and good internal…

Describes short-form versions of the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories (CDIs) and their development, summarizes newly available normative data and psychometric properties of the instruments, and discusses research and clinical applications. (Author/VWL)

Presents data from the development and testing of an instrument created to evaluate the oral health of nursing home residents by nursing personnel. Examination of 100 residents by dentists and 3 categories of trained nurses established statistically significant interrater reliability, suggesting that nursing staff can be taught to evaluate the…

A study tested the psychometric properties of the Stereotyped Behavior Scale, an empirically developed behavior rating scale for adolescents and adults with mental retardation. Forty-five adults with mental retardation and various rates of stereotypies participated. Results found the scale had high rates of reliability, validity, and interrater…

This study investigated the stability of the four factors in the Quality of Life Questionnaire, an instrument often used in quality of life research for people with intellectual disabilities. Only three of the four factors were found to be stable, raising potential concern over the use of the measure in assessing service providers' effectiveness.…

The biasing effects of measurement error in path analysis models can be overcome by the use of latent variable models. In cases where path analysis is used in practice, it is often possible to use parcels as indicators of a latent variable. The purpose of the current study was to compare latent variable models in which parcels were used as…