Rating Scales for Social-Emotional Behavior and Development

Abstract

Advances in our understanding of early childhood psychopathology have led to an increase in reliable, valid, and developmentally appropriate tools for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. This chapter discusses the use of adult-report rating scales, including both comprehensive measures and brief screeners, in the clinical assessment of social-emotional and behavioral (SEB) functioning among children from birth to 5 years of age (referred to as young children going forward). First, it reviews the strengths and limitations of rating scales in clinical assessment including how to select informants, gather information, and the importance of contextual and cultural factors in the selection and interpretation of rating scales. Next it describes the goals and contexts of clinical assessment, and how these factors impact the clinical utility of rating scales. The chapter provides guidelines for selecting measures with assessment of psychometric properties, and interpretation of results. Finally, the chapter concludes with a case vignette which is a clinical case description in which rating scale information was gathered to shed light on the child's functioning and inform treatment planning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)