ABSTRACT
Th e use of behavior rating scales for clinical assessment of behavioral, social, and emotional characteristics of children and adolescents has increased dramatically during the past two decades. Th is assessment method is now one of the most frequently used components of assessment batteries, and is a key means of obtaining information on a children or adolescents before making diagnostic and classifi cation decisions, implementing interventions, and monitoring the eff ectiveness of interventions and programs. As behavior rating scales have become more widely used, there have been numerous advances in research on rating scale technology that have strengthened the desirability of using this form of assessment (Elliott, Busse, & Gresham, 1993; Merrell, 2000a, 2000b, 2007).
