Re: Measures of child/adolescent functioning

["Daniel Fallon" <Psychling@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Aron...

Let me try on this one.

I'm a clinical psychologist working at a residential treatment center in
Illinois with about 300 kids removed from the custody of their parents /
foster parents for reasons due to abuse and neglect.  Of course, several of
the kids are involved with the juvenile justice system too.

I've just concluded a 12 week `project' (no hypotheses, no interventions, no
pre-post) that had two purposes: 1.) what measures were feasible /
possible?; 2.) what would be the level of cooperation from the various
parties in the measurement process?.

I used the following instruments:

1.  Achenbach's trinity (YSR, TRF and CBCL)
2. Children's Depression Inventory
3. Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA)
4. Childhood Severity of Psychiatric Illness (John Lyons, Ph.D.)
5. Barkley's Compliance Questionnaires (see his recent workbook ... I don't
have it near me now)
6. Behavior Impairment Profile (see Goodman statement below)

Over the past two years I've developed my own assessment instrument that
addresses what you may be after.  It is based on Michael Goodman's work
(Managing Managed Care: A Mental Health Practitioner's Survival Guide.
American Psychiatric Press, 1992).  After my initial intake assessment I
identify both the required DSM-IV diagnosis and I `assign' relevant
behavioral impairments.  The behavioral impairments may include such things
as `repudiates adult helpers,' `deficient frustration tolerance,'
`educational performance deficit,' `hopelessness,' `inadequate interpersonal
boundaries,' `trauma perpetrator (sexual/emotional/physical),' `trauma
victim (sexual/emotional/physical).'

I gained the assistance of various personnel in completing these assessment
instruments.  Particularly, the residential program staff completed the CBCL
every 6 weeks and the teachers completed a TRF every four weeks.  The
teachers also completed Barkley's `School Situations Questionnaire' every
week.  The program staff completed Barkley's `Home Situations Questionnaire'
every week.

Every week I would sit down with a key program staff person and assisted
him/her in completing Behavioral Impairment Severity rating form of my own
design.  The severity range is from 0 (no impairment demonstrated/observed)
to 10 (imminently destructive or life threatening to self or others).  This
served as an excellent opportunity to share observations and to train
staffpersons.   (Not coincidentally, this served as a good opportunity to
move from a `deficit' based DSM-IV pathology model to a strength-based
competency model [see Ann Masten's work]).

The benefit of gaining so many provider's structured feedback/involvement in
child assessment was to address the key issues you've identified:
risk-assessment and step-down decisions.

In my case I reduced everything to spreadsheets and graphic presentation
format (Excel) so that key decision-makers did not have to inspect and
analyze complex matrices, etc (which is a lot to expect of persons who may
not be psychometricians).

No doubt you're familiar with the CAFAS.    Also, you will want to become
familiar with other `out-of-home' placement service models.  E.g., Patricia
Chamberlain, Patrick Tolan, Nancy Guerra and Scott Hengeller.

Good luck with your work.

 "... compared to what?"

Daniel Fallon, Psy.D.
Chicago, USA
Moderator of Psy-IL

----- Original Message -----
From: aron shlonsky <shlonsky@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Child Maltreatment Researchers
<CHILD-MALTREATMENT-RESEARCH-L@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, August 06, 1999 6:16 PM
Subject: re: Measures of child/adolescent functioning


> We are trying to find a single baseline instrument for abused/neglected
> children in the highest levels of residential treatment which measures
> child related risk factors associated with: 1) poor reunification outcomes
> 2) low probability of "stepping down" to a lower level of care.   The CBCL
> and a host of other such tools will be used on a sub-sample, but we need a
> less involved baseline instrument for all children in the treatment and
> control groups.  Specifically, we are looking for something which measures
> the severity and frequency of such risk factors as fire-setting,
assaultive
> behavior, sexual perpetration, other crimes, eating disorders, running
> away, self-injurious behavior, etc.
>
> I know this is quite a hodgepodge of risk items, but we need something
> simple, short, and inclusive (if there is such a thing).
>
> Thanks you!
>
> Aron Shlonsky, MSW
> Center for Social Services Research
> UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare
> 16 Haviland Hall, #7400
> Berkeley, CA  94720-7400
>
> Phone (510) 642-6623
> Fax (510) 642-1895
> Email: shlonsky@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>