THE ABERRANT BEHAVIOR CHECKLIST - A BEHAVIOR RATING-SCALE FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF TREATMENT EFFECTS

  • 1 January 1985
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 89  (5) , 485-491
Abstract
The development of a scale to assess drug and other treatment effects on severely mentally retarded individuals was described. In the 1st stage of the project, an initial scale encompassing a large number of behavior problems was used to rate 418 residents. The scale was then reduced to an intermediate version, and in the 2nd stage, 509 moderately to profoundly retarded individuals were rated. Separate factor analyses of the data from the 2 samples resulted in a 5-factor scale comprising 58 items. The factors of the Aberrant Behavior Checklist were labeled as follows: irritability, agitation, crying; lethargy, social withdrawal; stereotypic behavior; hyperactivity, noncompliance and inappropriate speech. Average subscale scores were presented for the instrument, and the results were compared with empirically derived rating scales of childhood psychopathology and with factor analytic work in the field of mental retardation.

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