Assessing aggression in persons with autism spectrum disorders: an overview.

The authors read every paper they could find on aggression tools for people with autism. They pulled out 25 scales, checklists, and interviews that measure hitting, kicking, biting, and other severe behaviors. They grouped the tools by what they do and noted which ones have solid data behind them.

You now have a menu of 25 validated aggression assessment tools to choose from when evaluating clients with ASD. Some tools, like the Behavior Problems Inventory, are filled out by staff. Others, like the Aggression subscale of the Child Behavior Checklist, use parent reports. The review shows which ones give reliable scores and which still need more proof.

Parks (1983) looked at general autism scales and warned that none had strong validity. Koegel et al. (2014) updates that story: today we have better, behavior-specific tools, but you still need to check the manual before you buy a scale.

Scahill et al. (2015) did the same pick-and-choose job for repetitive behavior measures. They found only five tools ready for clinical trials. The aggression review mirrors this: plenty of choices, but only a handful have the data you need for high-stakes decisions.

Weston et al. (2018) reviewed DRO studies to reduce aggression. They remind us that good treatment starts with good measurement. Use their DRO guide together with the 25-tool menu to pick an outcome measure that actually tracks what your intervention changes.

Next time you write an FBA, flip to this review first. Match the tool to the setting—short staff rating for school, long interview for clinic. Pick one with proven reliability so your baseline data hold up in treatment review meetings.