Assessment of Social, Emotional

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• Assessment of Social, Emotional
• and Behavioral Skills
• Joan E. Armstrong, MS LPC

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ASD Assessment

• Consider the diverse needs of individuals w/ASD
  across the spectrum.
• There is no one appropriate assessment battery
  evaluation is always based on screening and
  ongoing data collection specific to present level
  of performance.

ASD Assessment
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Clinical Skills of the Interviewer

• Family members are equals in the interview,
  assessment, and educational planning process.
  Only they have knowledge of critical life events
  that may impact learning.
• Competence, respect for confidentiality, respect
  for differences (cultural, religious, and
  lifestyle) and a genuine desire to assist the
  family is essential to successful interview and
  to subsequent educational planning.

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Clinical Interview Skills

• You are the objective and attentive listener and
  reporter.
• Typically, you do not offer opinions or
  conclusions during an initial interview.
• Simply state that at this point you are gathering
  information and that more specific information
  will be offered when more data are collected.

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Considerations Social/Behavioral Assessment

• Difficulty in achieving social milestones noted
  early on and these data essential to diagnosis
  thus, family involvement in social history
  imperative.

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Consideration in Assessment of Social

• Social domain considered by many to be the core
  deficit for indivdiuals w/ASDs. Yet many
  behavioral checklists commonly administered w/in
  educational setting do not include indivduals
  w/ASDs in the norm sample and/or may not include
  indivduals with cogntive deficts (Goldstein et
  al., 2009). Again the implementation of FBA along
  with data from multiple sources across domains
  essential to both diagnosis and programming.

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Considerations Social/Behavioral Assessment

• Measurable behaviors to support diagnostic
  criteria manifest as social deficits
• failure to develop peer relationships appropriate
  to developmental level
• lack of social reciprocity, nonverbal/pragmatic
  skills
• restricted interests
• stereotypic behaviors.

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Theory of Mind (ToM)

• Current theory (cited in Goldstein, Naglieri,
  Ozonoff, 2009) cognitive deficits in autism
  impact the social realm. Individuals w/autism had
  difficulty attributing mental states to
  themselves in others (p 156).
• Implications Importance of ongoing FBA and data
  analysis across domains (cognitive, social,
  communication, adaptive).

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Comorbid Conditions

• Children w/ASDs may be affected by other
  psychiatric and neurological conditions (ADHD,
  Bipolar Disorder, Depression) that complicate
  educational diagnoses and require assessment
  outside of the scope of educational clinicians.
  That said, the integrated data, in particular
  social/behavioral data can be of significant
  benefit to support a medically based differential
  diagnoses.

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Some Common Social Tests

• Social Intensity Scale
• A standardized assessment tool specifically
• designed to measure the pattern and the
• intensity of supports needed by an adult (16
• years and older) with developmental
• disabilities.

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SIS Administration

• SIS is administered as a semi-structured
  interview by
• a qualified interviewer with preferably two or
  more
• respondents that know the individual well.
• Respondent the person himself/herself or someone
• who knows the person being evaluated for at least
  3
• months recent opportunity to observe the person
• in one or more environments for substantial
  periods
• of time (parent, staff, job-coach, teacher, self).

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SIS Administration

• A qualified interviewer is a professional with
• experience in working with individuals
• with developmental disabilities. The
• Interviewer completes the SIS by obtaining
• information about the persons support
• needs via a semi-structured interview with
• two or more respondents. The interviewer
• should consult as many respondents as
• necessary.

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Common Testscont.

• Social Rating Scales
• Social Skills Rating System SSRS (Teacher and
  Parent ratings focus on peer acceptance,
  student-teacher relations, and academic
  performance
• Behavior Rating Profile II (BRP 2) Parent and
  Teacher rating plus sociogram

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Common Testscont.

• Conners Rating Scale Teachers may complete but
  only psychologists and medical professionals can
  diagnose ADHD
• (evaluates problem behavior in children and
  adolescents)
• Devereux Behavior Rating Scale School form
• (DBRS SF) Interpersonal problems,
  inappropriate behaviors/feelings, Depression
  subscale, Physical symptoms/Fears

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Common Testscont.

• Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL Achenbach)
• Teacher report and direct observation
  forms (also a 1992 Profile for Ages 2-3)

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Common Testscont.

• Walker-McConnel Scale of Social Competence and
  School Adjustment (WPBIC) acting out,
  withdrawal, distractibility, disturbed peer
  relations and immaturity.
• Revised Behavior Problem Checklist (RBPC)
• Major scales include Conduct disorders,
  Socialized aggression, Attention problems
  immaturity, anxiety and withdrawal. Minor scales
  include Psychotic behavior and motor excess.

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Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC)

• Teacher and Parent rating of Externalizing,
  Internalizing, School Problems, and Adaptive
  Skills.
• A comprehensive set of rating scales and forms
  including the Teacher Rating Scales (TRS), Parent
  Rating Scales (PRS), Self-Report of Personality
  (SRP), Student Observation System (SOS), and
  Structured Developmental History (SDH). Together,
  they help you understand the behaviors and
  emotions of children and adolescents.

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Common Testscont.

• Self Report Inventories
• Behavior Rating Profile 2 (BRP -2)
• Piers Harris Childrens Self Concept Scale 2
• Child Behavior Checklist
• Social Skills Rating System (SSRS)

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• Autism is characterized by impaired ability to
  participate in social relationships that can
  result in an inability to establish
  relationships.

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Social Responsiveness Scale

• PURPOSE
• Aid in clinical diagnosis of ASD
• To look at the degree to which the child is
  affected by ASD
• Pre or Post intervention to measure
  effectiveness
• Screening instrument

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Social Responsiveness Scale

• CREATED FOR
• Children ages 4 to 18 years old
• Can also be used to rule out ASD

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Social Responsiveness Scale

• DESCRIPTION
• 65 questions with a parent and teacher
  questionnaire
• Should only take 15 25 minutes to complete
• Questions are in a random order with behavioral
  examples of how ASD characteristics manifest
  themselves.

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Social Responsiveness Scale

• T-Score Ranges
• 59 or below normal range
• 60-75 mild to moderate range
• Scores in this range indicate deficiencies in
  reciprocal social behavior that are clinically
  significant and are resulting in mild to moderate
  interference on everyday social interaction.
  These scores are in range with typical children
  with high functioning ASD.

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Social Responsiveness Scale

• T-Score Ranges
• 76 or higher severe range
• Scores in this range are strongly associated
  with a clinical diagnosis of Autistic disorder,
  Aspergers disorder or more severe cases of
  PDD-NOS. They suggest a severe interference in
  everyday social interaction.

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For the Report

• In the following areas, the following behaviors
  were rated as seen almost always true or often
  true by at least one rater.
• An indicates all raters see the behavior almost
  always/often.

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Social Awareness

• Ability to pick up on social cues items in this
  category represent the sensory aspects of
  reciprocal social behavior
• Is not aware of what others are thinking,
• Doesnt mind being out of step with or not on
  the same wavelength as others,
• Does not know what he is talking too loud or
  making too much noise,
• Walks in between two people who are talking

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Social Cognition

• Ability to interpret social cues once they are
  picked up on this category represents the
  cognitive interpretive aspects of reciprocal
  social behavior
• Doesnt recognize when others are trying to
  take advantage of him,
• Becomes upset in a situation with lots of
  things going on,
• Seems overly sensitive to sounds, textures, or
  smells,
• Gives unusual or illogical reasons for doing
  things

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Social Communication

• Includes expressive social communication, this
  category represents the motoric aspects of
  reciprocal social behavior
• Takes things too literally and doesnt get the
  real meaning of a conversation,
• Is awkward at turn-taking interactions with
  peers,
• Avoids eye contact or has unusual eye contact,

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Social Communicationcont.

• Has difficulty making friends, even when trying
  his best,
• Gets frustrated trying to get his ideas across
  in conversation,
• Is socially awkward, even when he is trying to
  be polite,
• Has trouble keeping up with the flow of a
  normal conversation,
• Has difficulty relating to others,

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Social Communicationcont.

• Wanders aimlessly from one activity to another,
• Has difficulty answering questions directly and
  ends up talking around the subject,
• Does not know when he is too close to someone
  or is invading someones personal space,
• Is inflexible, has a difficult time changing
  his mind

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Social Motivation

• The extent to which a respondent is generally
  motivated to engage in social interactional
  behavior, elements of social anxiety, inhibition
  and empathetic orientation are included among
  these items
• Seems much more fidgety in social situations
  than when alone,
• Would rather be alone than with others,
• Is too tense in social situations,
• Stares or gazes off into space

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Autistic Mannerisms

• Includes stereotypical behaviors or highly
  restricted interests of autism
• When under stress, he shows rigid or
  inflexibility patterns of behavior that seem odd,
• Shows unusual sensory interests,
• Has more difficulty than other children with
  changes in his routine,
• Thinks or talks about the same thing over and
  over,
• Is regarded by peers as odd or weird

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Autistic Mannerismscont.

• Cant get his mind off something once he starts
  thinking about it,
• Has an unusually narrow range of interests,
• Does extremely well at a few tasks, but does
  not do as well at most other tasks,
• Touches others in an unusual way

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How report might read

• Overall this rating scale shows that this
  student is severely impacted by his lack of
  social cognition and autistic mannerisms. He also
  is impaired in the areas of social awareness,
  social communication, and social motivation.

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Behavioral Problems

• A number of behavioral problems are associated
  with autism. These problems could include
  tantrums, aggression, self-injury and property
  destruction. Serious behavioral problems can
  occur when established routines or rituals are
  disrupted.

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Functional Behavioral Assessment IDEA

• FBA conducted if students educational placement
  changed for more than 10 days due to behavior or
  behaviors negatively impacting educational
  performance.
• FBA serves to determine the function or purpose a
  behavior serves and leads directly to
  intervention.

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Functional Behavioral Assessment

• Define the behavior in precise, observable terms.
  Prioritize.
• Identify variables that predict occur immediately
  before the behavior (antecedent)
• Task demands
• External Stimuli
• Grouping
• Time of Day
• Physical Factors

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FBAcont.

• Identify variables that occur immediately after
  the behavior (consequences)
• Teacher warning
• Time out
• Develop a hypothesis regarding function
• (ABC analysis)
• Collect observational data to support or amend,
  refute hypothesis.
• Develop a positive behavior support plan.
• Continue data collection to determine
  effectiveness
• of intervention