Children's behavior problems and referral for school psychological services

Personality and conduct problem behaviors from Quay and Peterson's Behavior Problem Checklist were rated by considering their significance in referring an elementary-grade child for school psychological services. Spearman correlations indicated that regular class teachers, special class teachers of the emotionally disturbed, and school psychologists agreed regarding the relative importance of the behavior problems. A repeated measures analysis of variance revealed that conduct problems were prioritized by the professional groups for referral. This consistent agreement across professional groups is interpreted in terms of ecological psychology. Considering the behavioral demands of the schools, the conduct problem child achieves the poorest behavior-milieu fit and is perceived as a priority for referral.