Comparing Results from the Clinical Assessment of Behavior and Child Behavior Checklist with Referred Preschoolers

Behavior rating scales are popular assessment tools but more research is needed on the preschool versions of the instruments, particularly with referred samples of preschoolers. This study examined the comparability of results from parent ratings on the preschool versions of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/1.5-5, Achenbach & Rescorla, 2000) and the Clinical Assessment of Behavior-Parent form (CAB-P, Bracken & Keith, 2004) with 74 clinically referred preschoolers. While pairs of similarly named scales from the two instruments received significant correlations, mean scores from the CBCL/1.5-5 were significantly higher than those from the CAB-P. Classification consistency was a concern as well. School psychologists are urged to be cautious in their interpretation of results from preschool behavior rating scales.