TemperamentAndAtypicalBehavior cale TABSCompleteSetExcerpt.pdf

{"title": "Manual for the Temperament and Atypical Behavior Scale Excerpt", "authors": ["John T. Neisworth, Ph.D.", "Stephen J. Bagnato, Ed.D., N.C.S.P.", "John Salvia, D.Ed.", "Frances M. Hunt, Ph.D."], "year": 1999, "sections": [ { "heading": "An Overview", "content": "Children may be declared eligible for early intervention services for several reasons. The major basis for eligibility determination and program planning is significant delay in developmental milestone attainment. A second basis for concern is the presence of unusual, atypical behaviors. Significant levels of atypical behavior can result in developmental delays as well as confront parents and other caregivers with management challenges. Until the mid- to late 1990s, children who manifested behavior or temperament problems were served by psychiatrists or psychologists who typically conducted their assessments by clinical observation and parent interview. Today behavior problems are more readily recognized, and assessment relies on numerous checklists and rating scales for determining children's self-regulation, temperament, and behavior patterns. Unfortunately, few of these tools are designed to assess infants and young children, and those devices that do target this population frequently suffer from a lack of norms and limited reliabilities and validities. The Temperament and Atypical Behavior Scale (TABS) was developed to provide a reliable and valid, norm-referenced, individually administered measure of dysfunctional behavior appropriately used with infants and young children between the ages of 11 and 71 months."
}, { "heading": "COMPONENTS", "content": "There are three components of TABS: the Screener, the Assessment Tool, and the TABS Manual." }, { "heading": "TABS Screener", "content": "The 15-item Screener was designed for rapid identification of children who should receive more thorough, close-up assessment for developmental issues related to temperament and self-regulation. The Screener can provide documentation of atypical functioning. It can also be routinely included in developmental assessment programs or more general screening programs."
}, { "heading": "TABS Assessment Tool", "content": "The TABS Assessment Tool is a form containing a checklist of specific behaviors. Next to each behavior, there is a place for the respondent (usually one or both parents) to record whether the child in question exhibits the behavior and, if so, whether the parents need help with the behavior. In addition, there is space to document relevant information about the child, space to write both the total raw score (Temperament and Regulatory Index [TRI]) and the raw scores for each of the four subtests or factors, and space to record the percentiles and standard scores associated with the raw scores."
}, { "heading": "TABS Manual", "content": "The TABS Manual contains seven chapters and an appendix. Chapter 1 provides an overview of TABS. Chapter 2 outlines a rationale and research basis for the scale and discusses the importance of and dysfunctions related to temperament and self-regulation. Chapter 3 provides instructions for using TABS as well as extended illustrations. Chapter 4 focuses on item development and standardization, and factor extraction, reliabilities, and validities are discussed in Chapter 5. The last two chapters (6 and 7) offer guidelines, examples, and research-based interventions for many of the behaviors identified with TABS. The appendix includes a list of agencies and organizations contributing to the TABS sample as well as a conversion table used in scoring the Assessment Tool."
}, { "heading": "CONTENT SUMMARY", "content": "On the TABS Assessment Tool, atypical self-regulatory behavior is assessed by 55 items in areas such as temperament, attention, attachment, social behavior, play, vocal and oral behavior, senses and movement, self-stimulation and self-injury, and neurobehavioral state. Four psychometric factors underlie the 55 items and are arranged into four subtests on the Assessment Tool." }, { "heading": "Factor 1: Detached", "content": "For infants and young children, a detached style of temperament and self-regulation is exemplified by behavior that is withdrawn, aloof, self-absorbed, difficult to engage, and disconnected from everyday routines involving adults or other children. This behavior can be manifested in a variety of activities and contexts. Infants and young children with a detached style may look through or past people, tune out, lose contact with what is going on, often just stare into space, or act like others are not there." }, { "heading": "Factor 2: Hyper-sensitive/active", "content": "For infants and young children, a hypersensitive/active style of temperament and self-regulation is exemplified by behavior that is overreactive to even slight environmental stimulation, impulsive, highly active, negative, and defiant. This behavior can be manifested in a variety of activities and contexts. Infants and young children with a hyper-sensitive/active style may be difficult to soothe when upset and crying; frequently irritable, touchy, or fussy; mostly on the go; too grabby, impulsive; or destructive." }, { "heading": "Factor 3: Underreactive", "content": "For infants and young children, an underreactive style of behavior is truly unresponsive and requires intense environmental stimulation to elicit a response. An underreactive style is associated with limited awareness, low alertness, passivity, and lethargy—it differs from a detached style that actively avoids engagement." }, { "heading": "Factor 4: Dysregulated", "content": "For infants and young children, a dysregulated style of temperament and self-regulation is exemplified by difficulty controlling or modulating neurophysiological behavior (e.g., sleeping, crying, self-comforting) and oral-motor control (e.g., jitteriness and hypersensitivity to physical contact)." }, { "heading": "PURPOSES", "content": "TABS was developed to meet the increasing need to assess the presence of developmentally dysfunctional behavior rather than delayed or absent appropriate behavior. Many infants and preschoolers may not manifest developmental delays sufficient to qualify for early intervention services; nevertheless, they may exhibit difficulties in temperament and self-regulation that can result in serious behavior problems and that may lead to delayed development if untreated. Early identification and intervention may reduce the severity of these behaviors and may assist parents in coping with and managing disordered behavior." }, { "heading": "ADMINISTRATION", "content": "The TABS Screener and Assessment Tool can be completed by the parent or professional who knows a child's daily behavior well enough to respond Yes or No to each item. Most parents will be able to complete the TABS Screener in 5 minutes or less and the TABS Assessment Tool in 15 minutes or less." }, { "heading": "ILLUSTRATION OF USE IN AN INTERVENTION PROGRAM", "content": "Amy was an 11-month-old infant with multiple diagnoses including prematurity, athetoid cerebral palsy, possible visual problems (neurologically based), and global developmental delay. Her mother had been referred to ZERO TO THREE: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families when Amy was 7 months old. An IFSP included service coordination, transportation, home- and center-based parent training, infant stimulation, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. General recommendations regarding sleep problems were provided by the service coordinator. When Amy was 9 months old, a referral was made for behavioral consultation services. Staff requested more specific readings related to sleep problems and suggestions for providing Amy's mother with more support. The sleep problems failed to improve after 2 additional months. Amy's mother reported that the sleep problems were significantly disrupting her ability to participate in early intervention activities and disrupting her partner's sleep and work schedule. She reported that she felt she was at risk for abusing Amy because of her own severe sleep deprivation." } ] }