William J. Helsel

Development of a rating scale to measure social skills in children: The matson evaluation of social skills with youngsters (MESSY)

Abstract The development of a scale for assessing social skills with children is reported. The Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY) was completed on 744 children between 4 and 18 years of age. A self-report form was completed on 422 children while 322 children were rated on a teacher-report measure using a 5-point Likert-type scale. Analyses included test-retest reliability conducted at a 2-week interval using Pearson correlations, factor-analytic procedures and selected analyses of variance and appropriate post-hoc tests. Implications of present findings and directions for future research are discussed.

Fears in children and adolescents: normative data

Abstract The present study examined the frequency, intensity and factor structure of fear in boys and girls between 7 and 18 yr of age. All youths were administered the Revised Fear Survey Schedule for Children (FSSC-R). Results indicated that girls evinced quantitative and qualitative differences from boys in the intensity and structure of their self-reported fears. Chronological age differences were not found, however, suggesting that boys and girls across these age ranges reported a similar level and structure of fear. The present study establishes the utility of the FSSC-R for these various age ranges and provides valuable normative data regarding its use.

The assessment of depression in children: The internal structure of the child depression inventory (CDI)

Abstract In the present report three separate studies of childhood depression were conducted. First, the internal structure of the Child Depression Inventory (CDI), with 216 children representing various ethnic groups with equal numbers of boys and girls, was evaluated through a factor analysis and by various internal-reliability measures (e.g. split-half reliabilities, Pearson correlations of each item to the total score). Four factors were established and internal reliability of the scale proved to be high. The relationship of the factor structure of the CDI to Kendells Type A and B categorization of depression are discussed. In Study 2 the relationship of demographic variables to the CDI using the same group of children described for Study 1 was employed. Evaluating the characteristics of depression across age, sex and so on in children has not been frequently studied, and was deemed appropriate for the present investigation. Age proved to be a significant factor in depression scores although race and gender did not. With respect to age, older children tended to display more symptomatology. Comparisons of depressed children to nondepressed children also showed that age was a factor in the obtained scores, and range of severity in both groups. Depressed children differed from nondepressed children on all 27 items indicating that all the items on the CDI seem to be measuring a unitary concept. Study 3 compared CDI scores to a measure of social behavior, the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngster (MESSY). Seventy-six children (36 girls and 40 boys), ages 4–10 yrs ( X = 7) were evaluated. Appropriate Social Skills was negatively correlated with childhood depression, and Inappropriate Impulsive/Assertiveness was positively correlated with depressive features described under the factor Guilt/Irritability. The implications of these data for further research on assessment, differential diagnosis and evaluation of treatment research are discussed.

Psychometric properties of the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY) with emotional problems and self concept in deaf children

In Study One the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY) was scored by teachers for 96 deaf children ranging from normal intelligence through mentally retarded. Inter-item and split-half correlations were high, and internal consistency of particular items correlated to the scale as a whole was high. Items that were particularly spurious were looking and smiling at others, an interesting finding since these social behaviors are frequently targeted in treatment research. Therefore, re-evaluating behaviors which should receive priority for treatment may need to be considered at least with deaf children. In Study Two, these children were evaluated on social (MESSY) and emotional behavior (AML), and self-concept (Piers-Harris). Correlations between scales showed the greatest relationship between social and emotional responses. The implications of these data are discussed.

The aberrant behavior checklist with children and adolescents with dual diagnosis

The Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC; Aman, Singh, Stewart, & Field, 1985a, 1985b) is a 58-item third-party informant rating scale originally developed for institutionalized, low-functioning adolescents and adults. The present study investigated the appropriateness of the scale for youngsters with dual diagnosis of mental retardation and psychiatric disturbance. Over a period of 2 1/2 years, 204 patients (199 after data reduction) from a child psychiatry unit were rated twice daily by direct care staff. Data analysis addressed internal consistency, interrater reliability, criterion validity, and robustness of the factor structure. Internal consistency was satisfactory with alpha coefficients ranging from. 82 to .94. Interrater reliability varied between subscales but was relatively low (Pearson correlations between .39 to .61). In terms of its criterion validity, the ABC was sensitive to psychiatric diagnoses and age and the original 5-factor structure was robust (congruence coefficients ranged between .80 to .89). Yet, only a relatively small proportion of the variance (31.5%) was explained by factor analysis indicating possible limitations of the ABC for this population. Given the paucity of assessment instruments for this particular population and the difficulty involved in developing new population-specific instruments, the ABC can be recommended for children and adolescents with dual diagnosis.

Depression in Mentally Retarded Children.

Thirty-one mentally retarded emotionally disturbed children, hospitalized within a university medical schools psychiatric intensive care program, were matched on age and sex and compared to 31 children from a normal school setting on depression. Measures included the Child Depression Inventory (CDI) and the Child Behavior Profile (CBP), with children being compared on total and subfactor scores for both measures. Depression and its various subcomponents were more prevalent in the mentally retarded group. There were no significant sex or age differences. Degree of overall psychopathology and depression were highly related. The relationship between criteria for depression on the CDI and CBC were also made. Correlational data showed a strong relationship between the cut-off scores for both measures, an important finding because they were based on norms established with children of normal intelligence. These data suggest that similarities exist between depression in mentally retarded children and those without such cognitive handicaps. The relationship of depression to other forms of psychopathology in the group of 31 emotionally disturbed mentally retarded children was also examined. A wide range of disorders including schizophrenia, aggression, withdrawal, and hyperactivity were evaluated. These are the first empirical data with mentally retarded children in the United States that are aimed specifically at evaluating depression, and should be useful to the clinicians in better understanding the phenomenon.

Development of a rating scale to assess social skill deficits in mentally retarded adults

In the current study, two experiments were conducted to establish the reliability of a scale developed with persons of normal intelligence for the assessment of social skill deficits and excesses of the mentally retarded. The experiment was divided into two studies. The first was aimed at establishing which of the 100 items could be accurately rated by having pairs of staff independently score 22 mild and moderately retarded adults who were outpatients at a local community mental health center. A correlation of r = .30 was established as a minimum cut off for reliability. With this criterion, 57 items were selected from the scale for further testing. In the second study, 207 different patients from the same outpatient clinic, from the mental retardation center of a nearby state psychiatric hospital and from Champaign, Illinois, were assessed on the 57-item Social Performance Survey Schedule. A factor analysis was then run and four subscales of the assessment instrument were established. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Fears in visually-impaired and normally-sighted youths

Abstract The present study examined the level and structure of fear in visually-impaired and normally-sighted youths. A total of 176 youths were examined: 70 visually-impaired and 106 normally-sighted youths. All youths were administered the Revised Fear Survey Schedule for Children. Results indicated that visually-impaired youths evinced quantitative and qualitative differences in their selfreported fears. Not only did they report greater levels of fear, perhaps, more importantly, they also reported qualitatively different fears. Results are discussed in terms of the antecedent and consequent factors associated with such differences.

Treatment of ADDH in Mentally Retarded Children: A Preliminary Study

The use of CNS stimulant medication for the treatment of attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADDH) in subnormal intelligence children remains controversial, and the majority of the literature does not support the use of CNS stimulants in these children, although the choice of dependent variables and research designs may have contributed to this outcome. A single case research design was used to assess the effectiveness of CNS stimulant medication (methylphenidate and dextroamphetamine) in three subnormal intelligence children with ADDH, using excessive movement and on-task behaviors as dependent variables. The results and implications for future research are discussed.

Use of naltrexone in reducing self-injurious behavior: A single case analysis

The efficacy of the opiate antagonist, naltrexone, in the treatment of self-injurious behavior (SIB) was examined in a 10-year-old mildly mentally retarded boy with SIB of 9 years duration. Naltrexone was demonstrated to be effective in both an open trial (100 mg of naltrexone resulted in a 69.3% decrease in SIB from baseline), and in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial using a B1-B2-A1-B2 design (B1=100 mg naltrexone; A1=placebo; B2=200mg naltrexone). A dose-response relationship was demonstrated insofar as the greatest decrease in SIB of 92.1% was achieved at 200 mg of naltrexone. This study lends clinical support to the hypothesis that the endogenous opiate system may be involved in the maintenance of SIB and suggests that naltrexone may be effective in the treatment of severe SIB.