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Defining the "disruptive" in preschool behavior: what diagnostic observation can teach us

Lauren S Wakschlag1, Bennett L Leventhal, Margaret J Briggs-Gowan

  • 1Institute for Juvenile Research, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago 60608, USA. lwakschlag@psych.uic.edu

Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review
|September 10, 2005
PubMed

Insights

A new observational tool, the Disruptive Behavior Diagnostic Observation Schedule (DB-DOS), aids in assessing disruptive behavior in preschoolers. It offers a developmentally informed method for precise diagnosis of early-onset behavioral issues.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Developmental Psychiatry
  • Clinical Assessment

Background:

  • Observational assessment is crucial for preschool clinical evaluations.
  • Early disruptive behaviors require multi-dimensional assessment, considering affect modulation and competence.
  • Distinguishing normative from atypical behavior in young children is challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To introduce the Disruptive Behavior Diagnostic Observation Schedule (DB-DOS), a novel observational tool.
  • To provide a developmentally informed framework for assessing disruptive behaviors in young children.
  • To enhance the precision and standardization of observational diagnostic tools for early-onset disruptive behavior problems.

Main Methods:

  • The DB-DOS integrates qualitative and quantitative behavioral dimensions using a clinically sensitive coding system.
  • It involves observing child behavior within and outside the parent-child context.
  • Specially designed tasks are used to elicit clinically salient behaviors.

Main Results:

  • The DB-DOS aims to provide a more precise, developmentally based description of the phenotype of early-onset disruptive behavior problems.
  • It promises to be a standardized clinical tool for observational assessment.
  • Large-scale validation of the measure is currently in progress.

Conclusions:

  • The DB-DOS offers a promising new method for the observational assessment of disruptive behavior in young children.
  • It addresses the need for a developmentally sensitive and multi-dimensional diagnostic tool.
  • Further validation will establish its utility in clinical practice.

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