Overview
The Social Skills Improvement System Rating Scales (SSIS Rating Scales; Gresham & Elliott, 2008) are a set of norm-referenced rating forms that enable targeted assessment of individuals and small groups to help evaluate social skills, problem behaviors, and academic competence. Parent, teacher, and student questionnaire forms are available; there are also Spanish versions of the parent and student forms. The SSIS Rating Scales are intended for use with individuals ages 3 to 18; three age groups are covered by the SSIS Rating Scales, including preschool (ages 3-5), younger students (ages 6-12), and older students (ages 13-18). It consists of four subscales: Communication, Engagement, Bullying, and Autism Spectrum. Items are rated by frequency and importance, and yield information about problem behaviors that may interfere with the student’s ability to acquire or perform specific social skills. Hand scoring or computer-assisted scoring are options. The predecessor to the SSIS Rating Scales was the Social Skills Rating System (1990).
Summary
Age: 3 years 0 months to 18 years 0 months
Time to Administer: 10-15 minutes
Method of Administration: Parent, teacher, and student (3rd through 12th grade) questionnaires; items are rated by frequency and importance
Yields standard scores (M = 100, SD = 15), percentile ranks, validity index scores, confidence intervals
Subscales: Subscale Scores: Social Skills, Problem Behaviors, Academic Competence
Subtests: Social Skills Scale (Communication, Cooperation, Assertion, Responsibility, Empathy, Engagement, Self-Control); Problem Behaviors Scale (Externalizing Problems, Internalizing Problems, Hyperactivity/Inattention, Autism Spectrum, Bullying); Academic Competence Scale (Reading, Math, Motivation, Parent Support, General Impressions of Cognitive Functioning)
Autism Related Research
None found. However, in a published test review, Crosby (2011) noted that though the Autism Spectrum subscale was added to the SSIS (compared with its predecessor), it does not serve an independent diagnostic role but could be useful within an autism-focused evaluation.