Behavioral and Emotional Risk Screening

Abstract

The current chapter focuses on research supporting the importance of early identification of emotional and behavioral problems. Key terms are defined, such as ``behavioral and emotional risk,'' and methods for evaluating screening measures for asssessing this risk are provided. Of most importance in this evaluation is the measure's positive and negative predictive power for detecting later emotional and behavioral problems. The chapter summarizes and evaluates some of the screening measures that have been developed and tested for detecting behavioral and emotional risk in children and adolescents. It also summarizes important considerations when designing a universal risk screening .