Behavior Rating Scales

Behavior rating scales are one of the oldest assessment tools used in mental health, education, and research. These scales typically assess problem behaviors, social skills, and emotional functioning; are widely employed in the assessment of personality development, adaptive behavior, and social-emotional functioning; and aid in diagnostic decision making and in planning treatment and education. These well-proven scales are easy to administer, score, and interpret and have become an integral part of the clinical and school assessment of children and adolescents.

A variety of behavior rating scales are available for use in clinical practice and research. The majority of behavior rating scales are intended for use with children, though a handful can be used with adults. The use of behavior rating scales in the evaluation of adult clients is gaining popularity. There are a number of advantages of using behavior rating scales: They quantify and systematically organize client information, administration and scoring is generally quick and easy, most allow for [Page 44]comparison of ratings across respondents and/or settings, and because these are norm-referenced instruments, the client's symptoms and behaviors can be compared with those of his or her peers.

Behavior rating scales help clinicians obtain information from parents, teachers, and others about a client's symptoms and functioning in various settings, which is necessary for an appropriate assessment for a number of disorders as well as for treatment monitoring. Such instruments are generally only one component of a comprehensive evaluation, which commonly includes direct observation of the client, objective and projective measures, and interviews. Most behavior rating scales are normed using nationally representative samples, but they also often include clinical norms as well, which allows for a variety of behavior comparisons. Ideally, the rating scale used should be normed to similar client populations, so results indicate if a client's skill, behavior, or emotional status is typical or significantly different from that of peer groups.