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How Does the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children-II Stand the Test of Clinical Practice? Findings in 7- To 12-Year-Old Children Reliability and validity of the KABC-II were investigated in 646 children aged 7 to 12 years who had been assessed in four social pediatric centers and one pediatric clinic in Germany due to developmental, behavioral, or emotional disorders.The reliability of the global scales Fluid-Crystallized-Index (FCI) and Mental Processing Index (MPI) proved to be very high in all age groups, with values ≥ .96. Reliability values for the scales were above .85 for Sequential/ Gsm and Delayed Recall, and above .90 for the other scales. Relatively higher test scores were found for Learning/Glr in children with intellectual disability than in other scales. Findings for discriminative validity for clinical diagnostic groups and educational backgrounds were as expected, with the lowest intelligence scores for children with intellectual disabilities.The correlation between FCI and the full scale IQ of the SON-R 2.-7 was .73 in a longitudinal subsample. Divergent validity for behavioral variables was confirmed in a subsample by low and nonsignificant correlations with the CBCL/6-18R. With some limitations, psychometric data indicate the suitability of the KABC-II for individual clinical assessment.

Multidimensional intelligence test batteries such as the KABC-II are widely used in clinical practice. Although validity evidence should be provided for all intended uses of a test, data on the factorial validity of the KABC-II mostly relies on the standardization samples and raises some concerns about the adequacy of the factor structure. Confirmatory factor analyses of the KABC-II core subtests were conducted in a sample of 627 children who had been assessed in German Centers for Social Pediatrics. The standard structure of the KABC-II was superior to unidimensional models but, as in previous research, evidenced cross-loadings and a high correlation between Planning/Gf and Simultaneous/Gv . Pattern Reasoning was more closely related to Simultaneous/Gv than to Planning/Gf . A four-factorial structure combining subtests from Planning/Gf and Simultaneous/Gv to form a common factor emerged as a better representation of the data. Story Completion showed a secondary loading on Knowledge/Gc . On average, most subtest variance was accounted for by the general factor. Models with bonus points for fast responses generally fitted worse than those without. Clinicians should be aware that Planning/Gf and Simultaneous/Gv measure both visual and fluid abilities. Scales of the KABC-II should not be interpreted as dimensions independent of the general factor.

The factor structure of the German edition of the KABC-II for ages 5 and 6 was examined in a clinical sample. Participants were 450 children ages 5 and 6 who had been assessed due to various behavioral, emotional, or developmental disorders in five Centers for Social Pediatrics (SPCs). Confirmatory factor analyses of the standard test structure including core subtests of the Cattell-Horn-Carroll model and of the Luria model were conducted using maximum likelihood estimation. Several modified structures derived from CHC ability classifications were evaluated. Second-order factor structures corresponding to the standard test structure of the KABC-II demonstrated an adequate global fit for both theoretical models and were superior to unidimensional models. The fit of bifactor models was comparable to second-order models. In all subtests, the general factor accounted for more variance than group factors (broad abilities). However, in more than half of the subtests, unique variance explained the largest portion of the variance. The scale Learning/Glr showed a lack of convergent validity. At age 6, a model omitting subtest Rover significantly improved the fit. In the combined sample of 5- and 6-year-old children, both second-order and bifactor models with nine subtests demonstrated excellent fit.

Discriminative Validity of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - IV (WIS) in a Social-Pediatric Sample This study presents data on the discriminative validity of the Wechsler Scale of Intelligence for Children - IV (WIS) for clinical diagnoses, different types of schooling, and variables related to migration. The sample comprises 631 children aged 6 to 13 who were tested with the WIS core tests in German centers of social pediatrics (Sozialpädiatrische Zentren) which offer interdisciplinary assessment and intervention for children and youth with developmental disorders, disabilities, and psychological problems. Large effects were found for clinical diagnoses and types of schooling that are related to intellectual abilities: Children with intellectual developmental disorders and pupils of special schools for children with intellectual disability obtained low or very low IQ-scores. Children with migration background scored relatively lower only on the Verbal Comprehension Index.

Test Reviews in Child Psychology: Test Users Wish to Obtain Practical Information Relevant to their Respective Field of Work This study investigated to what extent diagnosticians use reviews of psychometric tests for children and adolescents, how they evaluate their quality, and what they expect concerning content. Test users (n = 323) from different areas of work (notably social pediatrics, early intervention, special education, speech and language therapy) rated test reviews as one of the most important sources of information. Readers of test reviews value practically oriented descriptions and evaluations of tests that are relevant to their respective field of work. They expect independent reviews that critically discuss opportunities and limits of the tests under scrutiny. The results show that authors of test reviews should not only have a background in test theory but should also be familiar with the practical application of tests in various settings.

While the occurrence ofposttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD) in children and adolescents is undoubted, knowledge about the disorder in infants and toddlers is scarce. The lack of an accurate research base is mainly due to challenges in assessing PTSD in infants and toddlers. The development of an alternative set of diagnostic criteria, its empirical testing and the design of an examiner-based interview are recent and important steps. This article reviews the literature on PTSD in infants and toddlers. It defines the disorder and emphasizes its distinctive features in this age group. Demonstrating the development of an alternative set of diagnostic criteria and overviewing the existing assessment tools are central issues. A German version of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Semi-Structured Interview and Observational Record for Infants and Young Children (Scheeringa u. Zeanah, 2005) is presented for the first time. The state of research in prevalence and therapy of PTSD in infants and toddlers is described and recommendations for research and clinical practice are provided.