THE NEW-YORK TEACHER RATING-SCALE FOR DISRUPTIVE AND ANTISOCIAL-BEHAVIOR

Objective: A teacher rating scale designed to reflect current diagnost ic descriptors of oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder w as developed and standardized. Method: Teacher ratings were obtained f or 1,258 1st-through 10th-grade children from two school districts in New York and for 81 clinically referred children with conduct disorder . Results: Three factors relevant to oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder were generated: defiance, physical aggression, and d elinquent aggression. A fourth factor reflects peer problems. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and interrater reliability are documented using a population and a conduct disorder sample. The valid ity of the factors is supported by the factors' ability to discriminat e between children in the general population and those with conduct di sorders, by correlations with global impairment items, and by expected sex differences. Conclusion: The scale has utility for assessing symp toms of conduct disorder in school settings.