Observation of children in a psychiatric inpatient unit. Design of behavioural rating scale for nursing staff.

Attention is drawn to the relative lack of methods of measuring behavioural disturbance in children, in contrast to their widespread use in adult psychiatry. Reasons are given for encouraging the use of such measurement in child psychiatry. The design of a behavioural rating scale for use by nursing staff in an in-patient unit is described, together with an investigation of its reliability. It is concluded that, although there may be considerable short-term fluctuations in some aspects of a child's behaviour, it is possible to arrive at a reliable rating on the basis of four consecutive weekly assessments.