Abstract
This study was an examination of the possible influence of a child’s pre-identified disability on parent and teacher behavior ratings and whether a child’s disability status affected parent ratings, when controlling for parenting stress. The sample included 206 kindergarten through third grade students and their teachers and parents from a Midwestern town and surrounding area. The results indicated that a child’s identified disability had a greater impact on parent ratings than teacher ratings of a child’s behavior. Compared to parents of a child without a disability, parents of a child with an identified disability reported significantly higher levels of externalizing problems and significantly lower levels of adaptive and social skills. In contrast, the negative effect of a child’s identified disability on teacher ratings was evident only in adaptive and social skills. Additionally, after controlling for parenting stress, a child’s identified disability accounted for a small but significant proportion of the variance in parent ratings of child externalizing problems and social skills. The findings may inform school psychology practice regarding behavior assessment and case conceptualization.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
The terminology is outdated but reflects what was used at the time of study.
References
Abidin, R. R. (1995). Parenting stress index: professional manual (3rd ed.). Odessa: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.
Achenbach, T. M., & Rescorla, L. A. (2001). ASEBA school age forms and profiles. Burlington: Research Center for Children, Youth, and Families, University of Vermont.
Achenbach, T. M., McConaughy, S. T., & Howell, C. T. (1987). Child/adolescent behavioral and emotional problems: implications of cross-informant correlations for situational specificity. Psychological Bulletin, 101, 213–232. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.101.2.213.
Angold, A., Costello, E., & Erkanli, A. (1999). Comorbidity. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines, 40, 57–87. doi:10.1111/1469-7610.00424.
Berg-Nielsen, T., Vika, A., & Dahl, A. A. (2003). When adolescents disagree with their mothers: CBCL-YSR discrepancies related to maternal depression and adolescent self-esteem. Child: Care, Health and Development, 29, 207–213. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2214.2003.00332.x.
Bussing, R., Fernandez, M., Harwood, M., Hou, W., Garvan, C., Eyberg, S. M., & Swanson, J. M. (2008). Parent and teacher SNAP-IV ratings of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms: psychometric properties and normative ratings from a school district sample. Assessment, 15(3), 317–328. doi:10.1177/1073191107313888.
Chilcoat, H. D., & Breslau, N. (1997). Does psychiatric history bias mothers’ reports? An application of a new analytic approach. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 971–979. doi:10.1097/00004583-199707000-00020.
Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S. G., & Aiken, L. S. (2003). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
De Los Reyes, A., & Kazdin, A. E. (2005). Informant discrepancies in the assessment of childhood psychopathology: a critical review, theoretical framework, and recommendations for further study. Psychological Bulletin, 131, 483–509. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.131.4.483.
Drabick, D. A. G., Ollendick, T. H., & Bubier, J. L. (2010). Co–occurrence of ODD and anxiety: shared risk processes and evidence for a dual–pathway model. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 17, 307–318. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2850.2010.01222.x.
Dumenci, L., Achenbach, T. M., & Windle, M. (2011). Measuring context-specific and cross-contextual components of hierarchical constructs. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 33, 3–10. doi:10.1007/s10862-010-9187-4.
Enders, C. K. (2013). Dealing with missing data in developmental research. Child Development Perspectives, 7, 27–31. doi:10.1111/cdep.12008.
Foley, D., Rutter, M., Pickles, A., Angold, A., Maes, H., Silberg, J., & Eaves, L. (2004). Informant disagreement for separation anxiety disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 43, 452–460. doi:10.1097/00004583-200404000-00011.
Foster, G., & Ysseldyke, J. (1976). Expectancy and halo effects as a result of artificially induced teacher bias. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 1, 37–45.
Fritz, C. O., Morris, P. E., & Richler, J. J. (2012). Effect size estimates: current use, calculations, and interpretation. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 141, 2–18. doi:10.1037/a0024338.
Gresham, F. M., & Elliott, S. N. (1990). Social skills rating system manual. Minneapolis: NCS Pearson, Inc.
Grills, A. E., & Ollendick, T. H. (2003). Multiple informant agreement and the anxiety disorders interview schedule for parents and children. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 42, 30–40. doi:10.1097/00004583-200301000-00008.
Hosp, J. L., Howell, K. W., & Hosp, M. K. (2003). Characteristics of behavior rating scales: implications for practice in assessment and behavioral support. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 5, 201–208. doi:10.1177/10983007030050040301.
Hughes, E. K., & Gullone, E. (2010). Discrepancies between adolescent, mother, and father reports of adolescent internalizing symptom levels and their association with parent symptoms. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 66, 978–995. doi:10.1002/jclp.20695.
Jacobs, W. R. (1978). The effect of the learning disability label on classroom teachers’ ability objectively to observe and interpret child behaviors. Learning Disability Quarterly, 1, 50–55. doi:10.2307/1510963.
Merrell, K. W. (2000). Informant reports: theory and research in using child behavior rating scales in school settings. In E. Shapiro & T. Kratochwill (Eds.), Behavioral assessment in schools (pp. 233–256). New York: The Guilford Press.
National Association of School Psychologists. (2009). School psychologists’ involvement in assessment (position statement). Bethesda: National Association of School Psychologists.
Ohan, J. L., Cormier, N., Hepp, S. L., Visser, T. W., & Strain, M. C. (2008). Does knowledge about attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder impact teachers’ reported behaviors and perceptions? School Psychology Quarterly, 23, 436–449. doi:10.1037/1045-3830.23.3.436.
Ohan, J. L., Visser, T. A. W., Strain, M. C., & Allen, L. (2011). Teachers’ and education students’ perceptions of and reactions to children with and without the diagnostic label “ADHD”. Journal of School Psychology, 49, 81–105. doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2010.10.001.
Reynolds, C. R., & Kamphaus, R. W. (2004). Behavior assessment system for children (2nd ed.). Circle Pines: American Guidance Service.
Schlomer, G. L., Bauman, S., & Card, N. A. (2010). Best practices for missing data management in counseling psychology. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 57, 1–10. doi:10.1037/a0018082.
Sheridan, S. M., & Kratochwill, T. R. (2008). Conjoint behavioral consultation: promoting family-school connections and interventions. New York: Springer.
Walker, H. M., & Severson, H. H. (1990). Systematic screening for behavior disorders. Longmont: Sopris West.
Youngstrom, E., Loeber, R., & Stouthamer-Loeber, M. (2000). Patterns and correlates of agreement between parent, teacher, and male adolescent ratings of externalizing and internalizing problems. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 1038–1050. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.68.6.1038.
Acknowledgments
This study was supported by a federal grant awarded to the last author by the U.S. Department of Education (Grant No. R305F050284). The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and are not considered reflective of the funding agency.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Schwehr, E., Bocanegra, J.O., Kwon, K. et al. Impact of Children’s Identified Disability Status on Parent and Teacher Behavior Ratings. Contemp School Psychol 18, 133–142 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-014-0014-x
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-014-0014-x