Clinical Assessment of Child and Adolescent Personality and ...

174 chapter 7 Parent and Teacher Rating ScalesFactor analyses revealed a four-factorsolution for the Conners-3-T: Hyperactivity/Impulsivity,Aggression, Peer Relations,and a combined Learning Problems/Executive Functioning scale. Conners(2008a) also found support for consideringthe Learning Problems/ExecutiveFunctioning as consisting of two subscalesconsisting of items intended to loadon a Learning Problems and an ExecutiveFunctioning scale. As noted above,the Conners-3-T scales were moderatelycorrelated with the same scales fromthe parent and self-report versions. Thescales on the Conners-3-T were all moderatelyinterrelated. Criterion-relatedvalidity for the Conners-3-T was supportedthrough moderate to high correlationsbetween Conners-3-T scales andanalogous scales on the BASC-2-TRS,Achenbach TRF, and BRIEF TeacherForm. Similar to the parent version ofthe Conners-3, the teacher version demonstratedgood differential validity inthat scales were elevated for individualsfrom a clinical sample relative to a generalsample, and scale scores tended todiffer within the clinical sample in intuitiveways. For example, ADHD scalescores tended to be higher for youthsdiagnosed with ADHD than for youthswith other difficulties who did not haveADHD diagnoses (see Conner, 2008a).InterpretationAt the very least, the Conners-3-T appearsto be useful as a screening for problems inclassroom adjustment, particularly in termsof learning or externalizing problems, andas part of a comprehensive assessmentbattery. The recommended approach forinterpreting the Conners-3-T mirrors thatdescribed for the Conners-3 SR and Conners-3-P.Strengths and WeaknessesThe strengths of the Conners-3-Tinclude:1. Content that allows for an extensiveassessment of ADHD symptoms andother behavioral problems.2. Good correspondence across scales onthe parent and teacher versions, whichfacilitates comparisons in a multi-informantassessment.3. The presence of several short screeningscales which may be more feasiblefor many teachers.Apparent weaknesses of the Conners-3-T include:1. Minimal assessment of depression andanxiety, as well as adaptive functioning.The Conners CBRS should be used ifextensive assessment of these domains isdesired.2. Lack of research on reliability and validityconducted by persons other than thedeve loper.3. The normative sample is not quite asdiverse as that for the parent and selfreportforms of the Conners-3, yet it isstill diverse in terms of race/ethnicity.Personality Inventory forChildren-2 (PIC-2); StudentBehavior Survey (SBS)Parent Report PIC-2The Personality Inventory for Children-2[(PIC-2); Lachar & Gruber, 2001] is basedclosely on its predecessor, the PIC-R(Wirt, Lachar, Klinedinst, & Seat, 1990).The original development of the PIC followedclosely on the heels of the MMPI,with much of the early development worktaking place in the 1950s. The PIC-2 is a275-item rating scale designed for use with