Maternal Versus Professional Estimates of Developmental Status for Young Children with Handicaps

Abstract

One of the most hotly debated issues in the assessment of infants and young children with handicaps has been the role of parents in the assessment process. Traditionally, professionals have excluded from consideration parental judgments of child developmental status on the assumption that such data are inflated. The present study compared maternal judgments about the developmental status of their children enrolled in early intervention programs with independently obtained developmental testing data for the 53 children. The results indicated that (a) maternal and professional estimates were highly correlated; (b) mothers systematically provided higher estimates across developmental domains; and (c) child IQ was the most noteworthy predictor of agreement in developmental estimates derived from mothers. Results of this study suggest the need for close family-professional collaboration during the entire intervention process, because the two data sources order children similarly, but parental data result in overestimates of development relative to actual performance data.

Utilizing parental observations and computer technology in developing a child‐screening instrument in Singapore

“…The results indicated that although maternal and professional estimates were highly correlated, mothers provided overestimates of development relative to actual performance. The greatest parent-teacher disagreement was in the area of speech and language (Sexton et al, 1990). In another study, parents' estimates of their children's development were about 3.6 months higher than professionals' estimates (Hagekull et al, 1984).…”

“…Research, however, has suggested that parents' estimates tended to be somewhat higher than those derived from professionals (Gradel et al, 1981;Hagekull et al, 1984;Sexton et al, 1984Sexton et al, , 1990Stancin et al, 1984). For example, Sexton et al (1990) compared maternal judgments about the developmental status of their children enrolled in early intervention programs with developmental testing data obtained for 53 children.…”

“…For example, Sexton et al (1990) compared maternal judgments about the developmental status of their children enrolled in early intervention programs with developmental testing data obtained for 53 children. The results indicated that although maternal and professional estimates were highly correlated, mothers provided overestimates of development relative to actual performance.…”

“…When parents were given the same instruments with which to evaluate their child, they obtained very similar results to those of the professionals. Sexton et al (1990) suggested that close parent-professional collaboration is important in both the design of specific intervention programs and the ongoing assessment of child and family outcomes. Parents' and professionals' observations on a child's capabilities together contribute more information than is available from either one alone (Diamond, 1993).…”

The Role of Parents' Observations and Concerns in Screening for Developmental Delays in Young Children

“…Parents have provided accurate and low-cost screening information for infants, toddlers, and preschool children in the areas of cognitive skills (Bricker et al, 1988;Sexton, Thompson, Perez, & Rheams, 1990;Sonnander, 1987) and motor skills (Bricker & Squires, 1989;Sonnander, 1987). Parent report has also proven effective in the identification of toddlers and preschool-age children with delayed speech and language development (Dale, Bates, Reznick, & Morisset 1989;Rescorla, 1989).…”