The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), developed by Dr. Thomas Achenbach in 1991, analyzes a child's emotional and behavioral health, using information from the child's teacher or caregiver in conjunction with an extensive exam, completed by a therapist, a parent or by the child himself. The exam is scored against a predetermined standard for emotional health.
Basics
The CBCL contains two sections and a 20-question competency exam, followed by 120 emotional behavior questions. One checklist is designed for very young children, under the age of five and the other exam is for children between the ages of 6 and 18 years of age. In addition to the checklist, self-report forms are available for older children and observation forms for teachers and caregivers.
Emotional Syndromes
Dr. Achenbach designed a method of cross-informant scoring to determine the presence of any one or more of eight major emotional syndromes, including attention problems, delinquency, social interaction problems, depression or anxiety, somatic problems, aggression or withdrawal from society.
Achenbach separates the syndromes further into internalizing behavior issues and externalizing behavior issues. Internalizing behaviors might include childhood depression and subsequent withdrawal or anxiety while externalizing behaviors might indicate problems with aggression and poor school performance.
A qualified examiner scores the child's responses separately for the two types of emotional behaviors and the scoring scales ranging between 30 points to 100 points. A score of 70, or higher, might indicate the need for clinical help.
Competency
The competency portion of the checklist revolves around the child's ability to take part in solitary activities such as homework and chores and the ability to interact in group settings that involve activities such as games, responsibilities or jobs, membership in clubs and the ability to successfully take part in school and other organizations. Final scores range between 10 points and 80 points with lower scores indicating a possible problem.
Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment
The Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) maintains a non-profit center from which the CBCL and other childhood assessment tools are available. In addition to the standard CBCL, teachers and caregivers can obtain related tracking forms and reporting forms. A special independent youth version of the CBCL allows older children to take the exam independently.
