Technical Support for ASEBA® Software Products
Should extremely low scores on problem scales be considered deviant?
Answer: Extremely low scores merely reflect the absence of reported problems. The profile compresses the low end of the syndrome, DSM-oriented, substance use, and Critical Items scales, so that a T score of 50 is the minimum obtainable on these scales. However, most people have at least some problems. Very low scores suggest that the respondent has not understood the form, or is not being candid. As a guideline for scores that are low enough to warrant skepticism, the following Total Problems scores were obtained from no more than about 4% of the respondents in our national normative samples: ASR for ages 18-35, scores < 9; ASR for ages 36-59, scores < 7; ABCL for ages 18-59, scores < 3.