Psychosocial competencies; such as prosocial behaviors, compliance with authority, attention regulation, independence, and emotional regulation; play a crucial role in child development. Higher levels of these competencies in childhood are linked to fewer behavior problems, while deficits in these competencies can predict future problem behaviors.…

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a brief instrument developed primarily for screening children and adolescents for social-emotional learning. The SDQ contains four factors related to socio-emotional difficulties and one factor related to prosocial behaviour. However, studies of its factor structure have produced mixed results.…

The first aim of this study was to construct/validate a subscale--with cut-offs considering gender/age differences--for the school-age Child Behavior CheckList (CBCL) to screen for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) applying both data-driven (N = 1666) and clinician-expert (N = 15) approaches. Further, we compared these to previously established CBCL…

In recent years, there has been a proliferation of instruments for assessing mental health (MH) among autistic people. This study aimed to review the psychometric properties of broadband instruments used to assess MH problems among autistic people. In accordance with the PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO: CRD42022316571) we searched the APA PsycINFO via…

Objective: To examine the Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD--Symptoms and Normal Behavior scale (SWAN) clinical utility as a diagnostic measure of ADHD in an ADHD clinic sample. Method: In a sample of 357 children (6-11 years old) referred for evaluation at an academic medical center, we explored the SWAN's diagnostic and convergent validity with…

3q29 deletion syndrome (3q29del) is associated with a significantly increased risk for neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. However, the full spectrum of behavioral phenotypes associated with 3q29del is still evolving. Individuals with 3q29del (n = 96, 60.42% male) or their guardian completed the Achenbach Child or Adult Behavior…

This study examined the new self-report version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ-S), SDQ-Kids, in primary school children regarding internal consistency, teacher-child agreement, and validity. Data from 2,655 children in Grades 1 to 3 and their teachers were analyzed. Children completed SDQ-Kids, previously piloted (n = 896),…

Reliable and valid assessment of parenting and child behaviors is critical for clinicians and researchers alike, and observational measures of parenting behaviors are often considered the gold standard for assessing parenting and parent-child interaction quality. The current study sought to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Coder…

The Pediatric Symptom Checklist-17 (PSC-17) is a popular screening instrument used by parents and clinicians to assess children's behavioral functioning. However, more schools are examining the potential of the PSC-17 as part of a Multi-Tier System of Support framework. To investigate the potential of the PSC-17 in the schools, a sample of 1,779…

The Scales for Assessing Emotional Disturbance Screener--Third Edition (SAED-3) is a standardized, norm-referenced measure designed to identify school-age students at risk for emotional and behavioral problems. Four studies are reported to address the psychometric status of the SAED-3 Screener. Study 1 examined the internal consistency of the…

Educators and educational support staff are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of systematic efforts to support students' social and emotional growth. Logically, the success of social-emotional learning programs depends upon the ability of educators to assess student's ability to process and utilize social-emotional information and use…

We report findings of two validation studies of the Student Risk Screening Scale for Early Childhood (SRSS-EC). Although previous exploratory inquiry suggested a two-factor solution, results of Study 1 conducted with 274 preschool-age youth suggested mixed support for a two-factor model, with only one fit index suggesting an adequate fit…

As many as 1 in 5 youth in the United States experience social, emotional, and behavioral problems. However, many students with mental health concerns are unidentified and do not receive adequate care. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the factor structure, measurement invariance, and the concurrent and predictive validity of the Early…

Background: In addition to symptoms of neurodevelopmental disorders, functional impairment is crucial to the determination of clinical significance. The aim of this study was to examine partial validity and usefulness of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire's (SDQ) impact supplement (SDQ impact) in measuring functional impairment in…

Social and emotional development in early childhood has been shown to predict long-term outcomes, including school readiness and academic achievement. Early years practitioners need robust assessment tools to adequately identify early signs of social, emotional, behavioural and mental health (SEMH) difficulties. The current study aimed to develop…