Behavioral and 

Social-Emotional Testing

Behavioral and/or social emotional testing may be conducted in order identify behaviors or emotional states that need to be addressed.  Sometimes the information is used to provide information to therapists or psychiatrists at the request of the parent.

Behavioral Assessment: The Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition (BASC-2) is a behavior rating scale measuring behavioral difficulties and adaptability of children.  The Scales include Hyperactivity, Aggression, Conduct Problems, Anxiety, Depression, Somatization, Attention Problems, Learning Problems, Atypicality, Withdrawal, Adaptability, Social Skills, Leadership, and Study Skills.  Composite Scores include the areas of External Problems, Internal Problems, School Problems, Behavior Symptoms, and Adaptive Skills.  

  Teachers rate the items according to the observable behaviors with which the student presents in school, while parents rate behaviors observed at home.  The items are then grouped into categories with labels that best represent that constellation of behaviors.  The category labels are used simply to describe the types of behaviors associated with them. 

The Classroom Behavior Record (CBR) is an observation method using a six-second partial interval recording system measuring the occurrence of twelve designated behaviors.  The designated behaviors include: attending to the task; complying with teacher requests; instructional interactions; incidental motor activity; positive interactions with the teacher; positive interactions with peers; failing to attend to the task; failing to comply with requests; obtrusive motor movements; disruptive or destructive behavior; negative interactions with the teacher; and negative interactions with peers.  The "target" student is compared to a sampling of the rest of the class, and results are put in chart format.

The Beck Youth Inventories of Emotional and Social Impairment (BECK) are five separate self-report measures that are completed by the student.  The inventories assess symptoms of depression, anxiety, anger, disruptive behavior, and self-concept.  The student responds with “never,” “sometimes,” “often,” or “always” to items such as “I feel smart” or “I get nervous.”  Scores are reported as T-Scores.  On four of the five inventories, high scores indicate high levels of distress.  This is not true of the self-concept inventory, where low levels indicate lower self-concept.

The Piers-Harris Children’s Self-Concept Scale is an 80-item, self-report questionnaire designed to assess how children feel about themselves.  The child responds to each statement by circling a “yes” or “no” answer.  Low scores indicate a low self-concept.  Scores include an Inconsistency Index, a Response Bias Index, and a Total Score made up of 6 Cluster Scales.  The Cluster Scales include Behavior, Intellectual and School Status, Physical Appearance and Attributes, Anxiety, Popularity, and Happiness and Satisfaction.

The Reynold’s Child Depression Scale (RCDS) is a brief self-report measure designed to assess depressive symptoms.  Scores are reported as percentile ranks.  High scores indicate depressive symptoms.  

The Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS) is a 37-item, self-report instrument designed to assess the level and nature of anxiety in children.  The child responds to each statement by circling a “yes” or “no” answer.  The sub-scales include Physiological Anxiety, Worry/Oversensitivity, and Social Concerns/Concentration.  The sub-scale of Physiological Anxiety is an index of the child’s expression of physical manifestations of anxiety.  Worry/Oversensitivity is an index of the child’s sensitivity to environmental pressures.  Social Concerns/Concentration is an index of the concern of the self in comparison to others.  It is assumed that any anxiety in this area will interfere with the ability to concentrate on academics or other assigned tasks.  The RCMAS also includes a Lie sub-scale that detects when the child is trying to present ideal behavior or when the child is expressing an exceedingly high need for social acceptance.

 The Incomplete Sentence Blank consists of incomplete sentences such as “I like . . .” and “What annoys me . . .” The student is asked to fill in the rest of the sentence as it pertains to them.