Reliability of the Matson evaluation of social skills in individuals with severe retardation (MESSIER)

Recently, the concepts of social competence and social skills have become i mportant aspects of the evolving definitions of mental retardation. However , no psychometrically sound instruments exist for assessing social skills i n lower functioning developmentally disabled people. This study examined th e psychometric properties of the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills for Ind ividuals with Severe Retardation (MESSIER)-a new scale designed to measure social skills in adults with severe developmental disabilities. The authors conducted a preliminary evaluation of the test-retest and interrater relia bility of the MESSIER. It was determined that the MESSIER has high stabilit y across raters and good stability over time. In addition, good internal co nsistency was established with coefficient alpha. Potential uses for the sc ale and directions for future research are discussed.