ASEBA Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL)

The Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) is a family of standardised questionnaires used to gather information about a child’s emotional, behavioural, social and adaptive functioning. The Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) is completed by a parent or caregiver. Separate forms are also available for educators and young people.

ASEBA forms can help a child psychologist compare observations across home, education and the young person’s own perspective. They are rating scales, not intelligence tests or stand-alone diagnostic assessments.

Which ASEBA form is used?

The form depends on the child’s age and who is providing the information:

• CBCL/1½-5: completed by a parent or caregiver for a child aged 18 months to 5 years.
• Caregiver-Teacher Report Form (C-TRF/1½-5): completed by a childcare provider, early childhood educator or teacher who knows a child aged 18 months to 5 years.
• CBCL/6-18: completed by a parent or caregiver for a child or young person aged 6 to 18 years.
• Teacher’s Report Form (TRF/6-18): completed by a teacher or another appropriate education professional for a student aged 6 to 18 years.
• Youth Self-Report (YSR/11-18): completed by a young person aged 11 to 18 years.

Not every assessment requires every form. The psychologist selects respondents according to the child’s age, settings and referral question.

What do ASEBA CBCL forms assess?

The forms ask about strengths, participation, competencies and emotional or behavioural concerns. The exact scales vary by age and respondent. Depending on the form, results may include:

• Internalising, Externalising and Total Problems scales
• empirically based syndrome scales covering areas such as anxiety or depressed mood, withdrawal, physical complaints, attention, social or thought problems, rule-breaking and aggressive behaviour
• competence or adaptive functioning scales relevant to activities, relationships, school or learning
• DSM-oriented scales that group items relevant to particular diagnostic areas

The name of a syndrome or DSM-oriented scale is not a diagnosis. A higher score means that the reported pattern may warrant closer clinical consideration.

Why might several people complete forms?

Children can behave differently across home, school and other settings. Parents, teachers and young people may also notice different concerns. Each respondent should complete their own form based on what they have observed, rather than trying to make the answers match.

Differences between ratings are not automatically errors. They may provide useful information about when difficulties occur, the demands of each setting and the support available. A psychologist considers similarities and differences alongside interviews, history and other assessment information.

How are ASEBA results interpreted?

ASEBA scoring can provide raw scores, standardised T scores and percentiles. These help compare ratings with relevant normative groups for the child’s age and the type of respondent. The psychologist also reviews individual responses, scale patterns, strengths, functional impact and any items requiring timely follow-up.

A score should not be interpreted in isolation. Language, culture, development, health, recent events, the respondent’s opportunities to observe the child and the assessment context can all affect the information provided.

Can the CBCL diagnose a condition?

No. CBCL, C-TRF, TRF and YSR results can contribute to a broader assessment, but they cannot confirm or rule out ADHD, autism, anxiety, depression or another condition by themselves. Diagnosis requires clinical judgement using information relevant to the referral question.

Results also do not guarantee a diagnosis, treatment recommendation, school adjustment, funding or service eligibility. When attention or behaviour is the main concern, a child psychologist may consider additional information or measures such as Conners 4.

Discussing the right assessment

ASEBA forms may be useful when a broad view of emotional and behavioural functioning is needed across settings. Learn more about Quirky Kid’s child behaviour assessments, or book an initial consultation to discuss the most suitable next step.