No abstract

No abstract

Clinical and educational assessment of children requires reliable and valid measures of their behavioral, cognitive, and emotional functioning. The inadequacy of traditional psychiatric categories has long been recognized, and the importance of accurate child adjustment information for educational placement has been appreciated increasingly. This study evaluated the external validity of a new, 12 profile type classification system for the Personality Inventory for Children (PIC) and used cognitive functioning and special education placement data as external criteria. Children who obtained the 12 PIC profile types differed significantly in their performance on several individually administered intellectual and academic tests and their placement in regular vs. special education classrooms. Implications of these findings for use of this profile typology as a screening tool in educational settings are discussed.

No abstract

In earlier studies we developed a hierarchical classification model for the Personality Inventory for Children (PIC)—a parent-informant questionnaire of child adjustment status–intended for use in school settings. In the present study, we constructed and evaluated a profile-matching classification model that extends the usefulness of the PIC as a screening measure in school assessments. This model allows psychologists to determine the similarity of PIC profiles to the mean profile of children in regular classrooms and to the mean profiles of children who are learning disabled, emotionally-behaviorally disturbed, or mentally impaired. The overall accuracy of the profile-matching model was reasonable, and classification of children's PIC profiles by this model did not differ by race. We also present a case example that illustrates the application of the PIC in a school-related evaluation.