Assessment

This packet provides an overview of some of the general methods and procedures that can guide the assessment process and the specific tools or measures that are used to assess the child, caregiver, or family.

We have identified assessment measures based on some general inclusion criteria that are used to identify appropriate candidates for AF-CBT. The recommended measures can be completed on paper, one-to-one or group administration, or via interview. They have good psychometric properties (i.e., reliability, validity), and have been used across a variety of trauma types, age ranges, settings, and cultures. Most also are available in the public domain (i.e., free of charge). Other measures may be needed to assess changes in competencies or skills learned in each phase of AF-CBT.

This document summarizes the scoring scales and cutoffs for the measures found in the Screening and Assessment Measures for Use in AF-CBT packet.

The Alabama Parenting Questionnaire is a measure that captures caregiver behavior and does not require a cost or any copyright restriction. It can be used as a parent self-report and as a child report on the same parental practices.

We recommend using the 12-item scale (APQ SF+CP). The 12 item scale includes four individual factors: Positive Parenting, Poor Parental Monitoring/Supervision, Inconsistent Discipline, and Corporal Punishment.

The Brief Child Abuse Potential Inventory (B-CAP; Ondersman et al., 2005) is based on the full version of the Child Abuse Potential Inventory (Milner, 1986). Because of its utility in helping to identify caregivers who may be at high risk for physical abuse or child maltreatment (heightened abuse potential), we recommend its use. The B-CAP has 24 items that form 9 factors, two of which are used to determine validity (e.g., random responses and lying), and seven others which are used to capture overall abuse risk potential.

The Child PTSD Symptom Scale (CPSS) used in AF-CBT is comprised of two parts: the Trauma Screen and the eponymous Child PTSD Symptom Scale. The Trauma Screen is a 15 item questionnaire designed to provide information on what specific events are underlying any PTSD symptoms the child is experiencing. This scale was created by researchers at the University of Washington as a complement to the Child PTSD Symptom Scale, which is a questionnaire designed to measure post traumatic stress disorder severity in children aged 8-18. It takes about 20 minutes to administer as an interview measure and 10 minutes to complete as a self-report.

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a comprehensive measure that captures child externalizing behavior (e.g., ODD/CD, aggression), as well as other relevant child problems, and that does not require a cost for use of a hard copy form. The SDQ is 25-item clinical rating scale, completed by caregivers on 3-16 year olds. Its subscales include: Total Difficulties, Emotional symptoms, Conduct problems, Hyperactivity, Peer problems, and Prosocial Behavior.

This allows you to input the value for each item and then automatically calculate the scores. It can also be used to administer one or more of the measures to a parent or child, but the results must be printed out or a screenshot saved for each measure as it is completed as the application does not save any of the results to maintain confidentiality. The following measures are included: Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ), Brief CAP Inventory Form (B-CAP), Child PTSD Symptom Scale, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ) - Short Form.

The Individual Goal Achievement Ratings (IGAR) is a measure that allows caregivers to identify and then rate up to 4 child goals with behavioral anchors assigned to a level of improvement. Over time, they will be able to chart the progress of their treatment with symptom/behavior severity as a metric. Instructions for using the measure are included on the form.

The AF-CBT Treatment Plan describes enrollment criteria, program parameters, treatable problems, and phases of treatment.