An evaluation of the social validity of the Aberrant Behavior Checklist - Community

Purpose – This paper aims to evaluate the social validity of the Aberrant Behavior Checklist - Communit y (ABC-C). Design/methodology/approach – Thirty-six participants completed a questionnaire in which they identified and commented on items of the ABC-C they saw as problematic. Thematic analysis was conducted on the comments made. Findings – All participants identified at least one item of the ABC-C as problematic with six items being so identified by over half the participants. A number of themes were identified in participant comments including ambiguity, judgemental language, child-focussed language, lack of attention to behavioural function and repetition. Research limitations/implications – More research is required using empirically based methodologies on measures used to assess people with learning disabilities. This should involve ascertaining the social validity of such measures by soliciting the views of both those being assessed and those assessing.

Originality/value – This study is the first of its kind to evaluate the social validity of one of the most widely used measures of challenging behaviour for people with learning disabilities.