Behavioral, Social, and Emotional Assessment of Children and Adolescents

Generally recognized as the standard work in its field, Behavioral, Social, and Emotional Assessment of Children and Adolescents is a comprehensive guide for conducting conceptually sound, culturally responsive, and ecologically oriented assessments of students' social and emotional behavior. Written for graduate students, practitioners, and researchers in the fields of school psychology, child clinical psychology, and special education, it will also be of interest to those in related disciplines.

Retaining the fifth edition's structure and content coverage, incorporation of DSM-5 and federal standards, and integrated approach to culturally responsive assessment, this lightly refreshed 2023 version offers readers a select batch of further updates. The book now includes new references to NASP's 2020 Professional Standards and APA's amended Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct as well as modernized research, data, and terminology pertaining to racial, ethnic, and other identity-based contexts.

In Part I, Foundations and Methods of Assessment, the author provides a general foundation for assessment practice and outlines basic professional and ethical issues, cultural considerations, and classification and diagnostic problems. Part II, Assessment of Specific Problems, Competencies, and Populations, features material on assessing specific social-emotional behavior domains, including externalizing problems, internalizing problems, social skills and social-emotional strengths, and the unique needs of young children. A chapter on school-wide screening methods was also added to the fifth edition.

By weaving together the most recent research evidence and common application issues in a scholarly yet practical manner, Behavioral, Social, and Emotional Assessment of Children and Adolescents continues to be the pre-eminent foundation for assessment courses.


About the Author

Sara A. Whitcomb is Associate Professor in the College of Education at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA.