Randy W. Kamphaus

Investigating Subtypes of Child Development: A Comparison of Cluster Analysis and Latent Class Cluster Analysis in Typology Creation.

Two classification methods, latent class cluster analysis and cluster analysis, are used to identify groups of child behavioral adjustment underlying a sample of elementary school children aged 6 to 11 years. Behavioral rating information across 14 subscales was obtained from classroom teachers and used as input for analyses. Both the procedures and results were compared. The latent class cluster analysis uncovered three classes representing differing levels of childrens behavioral adjustment (well adjusted, average adjustment, functionally impaired), whereas the cluster analysis uncovered seven groups of child behavior. Results show a high degree of overlap, and each procedure offers unique information toward classifying child behavior.

School-Based Screening: A Population-Based Approach to Inform and Monitor Children's Mental Health Needs.

School-based mental health professionals often conduct assessments and provide interventions on an individual basis to students with significant needs. However, due to increasingly limited resources and continuing high levels of need, a shift in service delivery is warranted. Efforts to move school psychological services from reactive and individual, to preventive and universal are ongoing. To further service delivery change, school-based mental health professionals can engage in systematic periodic mental health screening of all children. This article will (a) discuss screening for risk of emotional and behavior problems from a population-based approach, (b) describe how screening data can identify and monitor the needs of students, schools, and communities, and (c) provide future directions for screening practices. As continued changes to service delivery are imminent, information on how to utilize school-based screening data will be particularly valuable to mental health professionals working with or within schools.

Behavioral Clustering of School Children.

The intent of this article is to illustrate how a cluster analysis might be conducted, validated, and interpreted. Data normed for a behavioral assessment instrument with 14 scales on a sample drawn from a nationally representative pool of U.S. school children were utilized. The analysis discussed covers the cluster method, cluster typology, cluster validity, cluster structure, and prediction of cluster membership.

Conceptual and Psychometric Issues in the Assessment of Adaptive Behavior

This article discusses three issues in the assessment of adaptive behavior: the clarity of the construct of adaptive behavior, the norm samples for adaptive behavior scales, and the predictive validity of adaptive behavior scales. It is concluded that while the concept of adaptive behavior is still too vague it is at least as well defined as other constructs, such as intelligence. Vast improvements are noted in the standardization properties of major adaptive behavior scales. Finally, it is argued that adaptive behavior assessment lacks clear evidence of predictive validity. A research agenda aimed at improving adaptive behavior assessment is presented.

Factor Structure of the BASC-2 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System Student Form.

The BASC-2 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS) Student Form (Kamphaus & Reynolds, 2007) is a recently developed youth self-report rating scale designed to identify students at risk for behavioral and emotional problems. The BESS Student Form was derived from the Behavior Assessment System for Children-Second Edition Self-Report of Personality (BASC-2 SRP; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004) using principal component analytic procedures and theoretical considerations. Using 3 samples, the authors conducted exploratory factor analyses (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) to understand the underlying factor structure of the BESS Student Form. The results of the EFA suggested that the SRP contained a 4-factor (i.e., Personal Adjustment, Inattention/Hyperactivity, Internalizing, School Problems) emergent structure, which was supported by CFA in 2 additional samples. Practical and research implications are discussed.

Cognitive Status of Children Treated with Central Nervous System Prophylactic Chemotherapy for Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia

Treatment-related cognitive impairments have been reported for survivors of childhood leukemia following prophylactic central nervous system (CNS) treatment with craniospinal radiation. We examined the neurocognitive status of 46 children with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) to assess the impact of a regimen consisting of systemic chemotherapy and prophylactic CNS chemotherapy. By comparing three groups of ALL children (i.e., patients whose diagnosis was recent, patients 1 year postdiagnosis currently receiving CNS prophylactic chemotherapy, and off-therapy patients who had been treated with chemotherapy for 3 years) and their healthy siblings on measures of sequential and simultaneous processing, we were able to examine the effects of CNS prophylactic and systemic chemotherapy at various points during treatment. Results indicate that the children who had received a 3-year course of chemotherapy (off-therapy patients) were more impaired on tasks involving right-hemisphere simultaneous processing than were sibling controls or ALL children whose diagnosis was recent and whose treatment had just begun. Age at diagnosis did not interact with the effects of chemotherapy. These findings support the need for continued evaluation of cognitive functioning in ALL, children receiving CNS prophylactic chemotherapy to identify potential harmful neurocognitive sequelae of treatment.

Enhancing School-Based Mental Health Services With a Preventive and Promotive Approach to Universal Screening for Complete Mental Health

Universal screening for complete mental health is proposed as a key step in service delivery reform to move school-based psychological services from the back of the service delivery system to the front, which will increase emphasis on prevention, early intervention, and promotion. A sample of 2,240 high school students participated in a schoolwide universal screening to identify behavioral and emotional distress as well as personal strengths. School psychologists, as part of a multidisciplinary team, coordinated the use of these screening data to engage in preventive consultation with administration to make decisions regarding the refinement and expansion of mental health service delivery options. Schoolwide and individual student prevention and intervention activities were tailored according to screening results. The roles of the school psychologist and multidisciplinary team members are discussed as critical components of this approach to service delivery change. Implications for future consultation research, practice, and training are provided.

Taxonomy and Validity of Subtest Profiles on the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children

This paper presents three studies. The first developed a normative taxonomy to show the most common subtest patterns on the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) (Kaufman & Kaufman, 1983a, 1983b). The benefit of such a core profile taxonomy is that it provides necessary contrasts for testing hypotheses about score configurations believed to be unusual or clinically relevant. The taxonomy was based on the school-age segment of the K-ABCs standardization sample (i.e., 1,300 children between 6 years, 0 months and 12 years, 6 months). Q methodology (cluster analysis) resulted in eight core profile types, which were subjected to preliminary validation tests against multiple criteria. The second study used the core types to examine whether children with learning disabilities (n = 224), emotional disturbance (n = 43), educable mental retardation (n = 85), and trainable mental retardation (n = 38) showed unusual subtest patterns more often than the general population. By contrast, the third study began by using the core types to identify children from both regular education and special education who possessed unusual patterns (N = 1,346). Thereafter, Q methodology was applied to search for homogeneous groups among these children. Results from the second and third studies mitigate against the diagnostic application of subtest analysis Recommendations are provided for future practice in the profiling of childrens abilities.

Student Personal Perception of Classroom Climate: Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses

The purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure of an instrument developed to assess elementary students’ individual perceptions of their classroom environments. The Student Personal Perception of Classroom Climate (SPPCC) originally consisted of six subscales adapted from previously published scales. Exploratory factor analysis identified the underlying dimensions of the SPPCC. The authors subsequently tested the four-factor model against the six-factor model using confirmatory factor analyses with an independent sample of students. The four-factor model appeared to be a more tenable solution because of its equally adequate fit indexes, parsimony, exploratory factor analytic support, and the high correlations between some factors. Future research and potential limitations of the study are discussed.

Differential Validity of the BASC Student Observation System and the BASC Teacher Rating Scale

This study evaluated the differerrtial validity of the BASC Teacher Rating Scale (TRS) and the BASC Student Observation System (SOS) in the differentintion of nondisabled children from children with an ADHD diagnosis, and children with only an ADHD dingrrosis from children with ADHD and comorbid dingnoses. The results indicated that the TRS and SOS exhibited good differential validity. The group differences that were found were consistent with the definition of ADHD, and a good classification rate was found for the TRS and SOS (73%). The Predictive Discriminant Analysis also indicated, however, that the SOS does not contribute a sufficient amount of information above and beyond that obtained from the TRS alone.