The test may be useful in assessing young children with autism or those with developmental ages below 5 years. The Developmental Profile II is an inventory of skills designed to assess a child's development from O-9 years, or for older children whose developmental levels fall within that range. This profile of individual skills may be helpful in depicting the uneven levels of development often seen in children with autism. The scales assess various facets of autistic behavior based on observations of the student's responses to various activities and situations. The CARS has been shown to discriminate well between autistic and retarded students and has demonstrated strong psychometric properties.
New norms are also available for the adolescent population.
It consists of 57 behavior descriptions grouped into five areas characteristic of autistic students. Sums of the items marked provide a profile of autistic behaviors, and the total score is interpreted to lndlcate the existence and severity of autism in contrast to other handicaps. The BOS is a checklist designed to assess autism on the basis of the examiner's direct observation of specifically defined behaviors, as well as through attempts to interact with the student. The instrument was designed to discriminate among normal, autistic, and mentally retarded children.