Behavior Assessment System for Children

The Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition (BASC-2), published by AGS Publishing (http://www.agsnet.com), is a set of rating scales and forms that gather information about a child's behavior, including ratings from parents and teachers as well as children's self-reports. It is designed to assess and identify children and young adults 2 to 25 years of age with emotional and behavioral disorders. There are five components, which may be used separately or in combination with one another: (a) a parent rating scale, (b) a teacher rating scale, (c) a self-report scale for the child to describe his or her own emotions and self-perceptions, (d) a structured developmental history form, and (e) a form for recording and classifying classroom behavior. By looking at both positive and negative features, the BASC not only evaluates personality, behavioral problems, and emotional disturbances; it also identifies positive attributes that may help in intervention. Analyzing the child's behavior from three perspectives—self, teacher, and parent—fosters a comprehensive picture that helps with educational classifications and clinical diagnoses.

The teacher and parent scales gather age-appropriate information on descriptions of observable behavior. The forms describe specific behaviors that are rated on a 4-point scale of frequency, ranging from never to almost always. Respondents are asked to read the statements and mark the response that best describes how the child has acted over the past 6 months. Teacher and parent forms include statements such as “Adjusts well to changes in routine” and “Annoys others on purpose.” The child's self-report form consists of 139 statements. For the first 51 items, children choose whether each statement is true or false for them. For the rest of the items, children rate behaviors on the same 4-point scale that the parents and teachers use. The child's self-report scale includes items such as “I never seem to get anything right” and “I get into trouble for not paying attention.”

The BASC-2 assesses both positive (adaptive) and negative (clinical) dimensions of behavior. When the questionnaire is scored, it provides information about 14 specific areas of a child's life, which are called scales. Five composite scales provide information about broader aspects of the child's life by combining the scores from 2 or more of the original 14 scales. Composite scales on the child report include School Problems, Internalizing Problems, Inattention/Hyperactivity, an Emotional Symptoms Index, and Personal Adjustment. High scores indicate higher risk on 10 of the clinical scales and 4 of the composite scales. Low scores indicate higher risk on the remaining 4 adaptive scales and 1 composite scale (Personal Adjustment).

Norms are based on a sample of 13,000 students, ages 2 to 18, from throughout the United States. The BASC-2 is used in both schools and clinics. The test was updated in 2004 by the addition of new scales and the extension of the age range to include college students. The new scales include Functional Communication, Activities of Daily Living, Attention Problems, and Hyperactivity.