Search

The Chinese government has announced the 2013 Guidelines for developing a national system for early detection of disability among children under 6 years of age. However, given limited resources, challenges exist with developmental measures required in the 2013 Guidelines. In order to meet the needs for a more accurate and cost-efficient measure for developmental assessment, the Ages & Stages Questionnaires: Inventory (ASQ:I) was translated into Simplified Chinese, and validated on a regional sample of 812 Chinese children ages from 1 to 25 months. Results indicated that the Chinese ASQ:I domain scores increased across children's age. When dividing the sample into seven age intervals, Cronbach's alpha in each interval ranged from 0.59 to 0.96 across five domains. When using the whole sample for analyses, item expected a posteriori/plausible value (EAP/PV) reliability was above 0.99 in all domains, test-retest reliability using intra-class correlation analyses ranged from 0.95 to 0.99, and the agreement with the concurrent measure ranged from 0.29 to 0.89. Domain scores on the ASQ:I correctly predicted 92-99% of participating children's disability status. Findings suggested that the Chinese ASQ:I has adequate psychometric properties and thus provides a promising alternative measure for screening and progress monitoring in young children in China. Implications for future research and implementation are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the accuracy of a curriculum-based assessment for use during the eligibility process for Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) services. The study extended a previous investigation in which performance scores of children without disabilities on the Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System (AEPS) were used to set cutoff scores at 6-month age intervals. These cutoff scores were then tested for service eligibility classification accuracy. The present study specifies and examines cutoff scores at more specific age intervals and performance domains. Present study findings largely replicated results of the original study. The AEPS cutoff scores were found to accurately classify most eligible children but did overidentify some ineligible children. The data from these two studies suggest that, to the extent allowed by state criteria, early intervention/early childhood special education personnel may be able to use the AEPS test as a valid assessment tool while qualifying children for IDEA services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors present a model of clinical supervision to guide preservice professionals embarking on a career in early intervention and early childhood special education. Established models of clinical supervision in the general education field are described, followed by a description of the clinical supervision model used by the University of Oregon Early Intervention Program. Priorities and methods for research are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Ages and Stages Questionnaires‐Third Edition (ASQ‐3) is a parent‐completed screening to identify young children at‐risk for developmental delays in the United States and internationally. Federal programs operating on Navajo Nation use the ASQ‐3 to determine the need for early intervention services, even though the ASQ‐3 national sample used to establish cutoff scores for referral included only 1% Native American children. Objectives: The current study aimed to compare the ASQ‐3 results from a sample of Navajo infants to those from a representative national U.S. sample and to examine the specificity and sensitivity of the ASQ‐3 in Navajo population. Methods: The sample included 530 Navajo infants (47.3% males) aged between 1 and 13 months who lived in remote and rural areas across the Navajo Nation. Children's development was assessed during home visits at 2‐, 6‐, 9‐, and 12‐month assessment windows. Results: Results showed that after 6 months, Navajo children had lower mean scores and higher percentages of children at‐risk for developmental delays than those from the national sample. The sensitivities and specificities, estimated using a Bayesian diagnostic approach under both conservative and nonconservative prior range choices, suggested a comparable validity performance to that from other ASQ‐3 studies. Discussion The results of this study along with our ongoing comprehensive assessments at 4 years of age inform current programs working with Navajo children to improve early identification of developmental delays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Brazil, large‐scale governmental programmes have been implemented to evaluate the development of all children who are enrolled in public daycare centres and preschools using the Brazilian Ages and Stages Questionnaires: Social–Emotional (ASQ:SE) as a screening tool. However, in the Brazilian context, there is a lack of studies that have investigated the clinical utility of the ASQ:SE, and only a few studies have partially investigated the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of this scale. Objectives: The present study had two aims: (a) to develop reference norms for the ASQ:SE to help professionals screen child development and because the psychometric properties of the ASQ:SE have only been partially examined, (b) to confirm its factorial structure within a multidimensional item response theory framework. Methods: The sample size was 54,570 children (53% males, 1–5 years old) who were enrolled in Brazilian public daycare centres and preschools and assessed in 2011. The results allowed the development of reference norms for all age intervals by considering raw scores at the 95th percentile as "monitoring zone" and scores at the 99th percentile as "refer child for further evaluation." Samejima's graded response model was employed, and its fit was checked by the root mean squared error of approximation. Results: The results were ≤0.08, indicating sufficient fit for the two‐factor structure. The raw results were 70 and 99.75 (12 months), 75 and 100 (18 months), 70 and 100 (24 months), 85 and 120 (30 months), 90 and 130 (36 months), 95 and 135 (48 months), and 110 and 150 (60 months) for monitoring zone and to refer the child for further evaluation. Discussion Early identification is the initial stage in this early identification process, thus allowing for referral or intervention. This study may help identify children with developmental delays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence supporting the internal structure of an assessment can provide support for its scoring mechanisms. A total of 1,691 young children in the United States were assessed by their parents using the 16-month questionnaire of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition (ASQ-3), and results were used to study the internal structure and dimensionality of the ASQ-3 using item response theory (IRT)/Rasch models. Data were analyzed using IRT including unidimensional and multidimensional Rasch Partial Credit Models to examine four theory-based internal structures. Results supported the hypothesis that the ASQ-3 measures a unidimensional construct—the overall development of children—while preference was given to a more precise multidimensional construct of five interrelated domains. However, concerns emerged regarding the extremely high correlations between items in the fine-motor and problem-solving domains. Findings provide implications for the test developers in terms of item refinement to improve measurement of underlying constructs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychometric and utility studies on Social Emotional Assessment Measure (SEAM), an innovative tool for assessing and monitoring social-emotional and behavioral development in infants and toddlers with disabilities, were conducted. The Infant and Toddler SEAM intervals were the study focus, using mixed methods, including item response theory modeling and classical test theory. Results using a Rasch one-parameter logistic model indicated model fit statistics were consistent for age and item difficulty as well as for ability and item characteristics. Classical test theory analyses generally confirmed the developmental structure; mean scores increased with age and were significantly correlated across 6-month increments. Reliability studies indicated strong internal consistency and moderate interrater agreement between teachers. Test–retest reliability results completed by parents online indicated significant agreement. Overall, 90% of parents reported the SEAM asked appropriate questions and took less than 10 min to complete. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]