Parent and teacher ratings of challenging behaviour in young children with developmental disabilities

Parent and teacher ratings on the Aberrant Behaviour Checklist were compared to determine its reliability for assessing challenging behaviour in young children with developmental disabilities. Twenty-four boys and eight girls aged 20 to 72 months (mean age = 51 months) were assessed independently by a parent and teacher using the Aberrant Behaviour Checklist. There were no significant differences between parent and teacher ratings on any of the five subscales. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients between parent and teacher ratings for each of the five subscales ranged from 0.50 to 0.83 (mean = 0.62). All correlations were significant (p < 0.01). Confirmatory factor analyses generated item loadings consistent with the original factor structure of the ABC and similar component loadings for parents and teachers. These results suggest the Aberrant Behaviour Checklist can provide a reliable assessment of challenging behaviour when used by parents and teachers of young children with developmental disabilities.