A DSM-IV-referenced teacher rating scale for use in clinical management.
OBJECTIVE
Two studies were conducted to examine the psychometric properties of a DSM-IV-referenced teacher-completed rating scale in children receiving special education.


METHODS
To assess reliability, teachers rated 74 students on two separate occasions (test-retest) using the teacher version of the Child Symptom Inventory-4 (CSI-4T), and teacher aides also rated the children on the first occasion (interrater). In a second study, teacher CSI-4T and Teacher's Report Form (TRF) ratings and consultant diagnoses were obtained for 101 students.


RESULTS
Internal consistency reliabilities (0.72-0.94), 2-week test-retest reliabilities (r = 0.61-0.88), and interrater agreement (r = 0.19-0.56) for the CSI-4T major symptom categories were comparable with dimensional rating scales. CSI-4T ratings showed a consistent pattern of convergent and divergent validity with TRF scores and with consultant diagnoses.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings provide preliminary support for the reliability and validity of the CSI-4T as a measure of DSM-IV symptoms in children receiving special education.
Mattison
Richard E
RE
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8790, USA. richard.mattison@stonybrook.edu.
Gadow
Kenneth D
KD
Sprafkin
Joyce
J
Nolan
Edith E
EE
Schneider
Jayne
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013663:Teaching