Child behavior checklists can help identify and target problem behaviors among children. The Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment, or ASEBA, includes research-based behavior checklists many schools and clinical professors use to identify a number of problem behaviors. These include internalizing and externalizing behaviors as well as separate behaviors that do not fall under either category.
Types of Behavior Checklists
Achenbach's system includes separate behavior checklists for use by parents and teachers of children ages 6 to 18. It also includes a self-report form for children ages 11-18. The Child Behavior Checklist is for use by parents, and the Teacher Rating Form is for use by school professionals. The Youth Self-Report form is for the child's individual use.
Internalizing Problems
The behavior checklists provide broad-band scores for behaviors that are represented by the Internalizing scale. Examples of internalizing behaviors include depression, social withdrawal and anxiety. In addition to broad-band scores, the checklists provide narrow-band scores for subscales within the Internalizing scale. These include Anxious/Depressed, Withdrawn/Depressed, and Somatic Problems subscales. Evaluators can compare a child's scores to those of children in various normative groups, including age and gender groups.
Externalizing Problems
The behavior checklists provide the same broad- and narrow-band scores for behaviors represented by the Externalizing scale. Examples of externalizing behaviors include verbal and physical aggression, hyperactivity and misconduct. The Externalizing subscales include Rule-Breaking Behavior and Aggressive Behavior. As with the Internalizing behavior scores, evaluators can compare Externalizing scores to scores of children from the different normative groups.
Other Problems
Achenbach's checklists also provide scores for behaviors that do not fall within either the Internalizing or Externalizing scales. These scales include Social Problems, Thought Problems and Attention Problems. The scores from each of these individual scales, along with Internalizing and Externalizing scores, factor into the Total Problems scale. The individual and combined scores provide an overall estimate of the child's social, emotional and behavioral functioning in relation to his peers.
References
- "Behavioral, Social, and Emotional Assessment of Children and Adolescents"; Kenneth W. Merrel, Ph.D.; 2008
- ASEBA: Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment
