Psychometric properties of the Children's Scale of Hostility and Aggression: Reactive/Proactive (C-SHARP).
The C-SHARP gives BCBAs a psychometrically sound way to parse reactive vs proactive aggression in kids with I/DD.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team checked if the C-SHARP scale really works. They gave the form to caregivers of kids with autism, Down syndrome, ADHD, and other delays.
Two raters scored the same child to see if they agreed. They also looked at whether each subscale measured what it claims to measure.
What they found
Raters agreed strongly on total scores and on the Reactive and Proactive subscales. The scale also showed good validity for most groups.
One hiccup: the Provocation subscale did not hold up well for kids with ADHD. That part needs tweaking before wide use.
How this fits with other research
This paper is the follow-up to Johnson et al. (2009). The 2009 study built the five-factor scale; the 2010 study gives the extra reliability numbers you need before using it in clinic.
Matlock et al. (2011) and Smith et al. (2014) took the same idea and made the A-SHARP for adults. They kept the reactive-proactive split, showing the concept works across the lifespan.
Bhaumik et al. (2008) tested the Conners scale in kids with ID and also found one subscale that worked less well. Both papers remind us to check every subscale in every diagnosis group.
Why it matters
You now have a free, caregiver-friendly scale that cleanly splits reactive from proactive aggression in kids with I/DD. Use it during intake to decide which functions to test. Track it monthly to see if your intervention is shrinking the right subtype. Just remember to interpret the Provocation score cautiously when ADHD is in the mix.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Although often lacking "malice", aggression is fairly common in children with intellectual or developmental disability (I/DD). Despite this, there are no scales available that are appropriate for an in-depth analysis of aggressive behavior in this population. Such scales are needed for the study of aggressive behavior, which is a common target symptom in clinical trials. We assessed the reliability and validity of the Children's Scale of Hostility and Aggression: Reactive/Proactive (C-SHARP), a new aggression scale created for children with I/DD. Data are presented from a survey of 365 children with I/DD aged 3-21 years. Interrater reliability was very high for the Problem Scale, which characterizes type of aggression. Reliability was lower but largely acceptable for the Provocation Scale, which assesses motivation. Validity of the Problem Scale was supported by expected differences in children with autism, Down syndrome, comorbid disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) and ADHD. The Provocation Scale, which categorizes behavior as proactive or reactive, showed expected differences in children with DBD, but was less effective in those with ADHD. The C-SHARP appears to have fundamentally sound psychometric characteristics, although more research is needed.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2010 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2009.09.014