The Adaptive Social Behavior Inventory (ASBI): Evaluation with high-risk preschoolers

This paper assesses the reliability and factor structure of the Adaptive Social Behavior Inventory (ASBI) with a multi-ethnic sample of 3- to 5-year-old Head Start children using teachers as raters. The ASBI is a 30-item instrument recently developed to assess multiple dimensions of social competence in 3-year-olds using mothers as raters. Features of the ASBI have led to its use with older Head Start children using teachers as raters, even though the reliability of the instrument and validity of the subscale structure have not been established in this context. Data from the present study provide interrater reliability assessment of the ASBI and confirm a factor structure for 3- to 5-year-old children that is identical to the one obtained in the original study of 3-year-olds. The three subscales, Express, Comply, and Disrupt, also had high levels of internal consistency. Potential uses of the ASBI with children attending preschool programs such as Head Start are discussed.