Predicting School Problems from Preschool Developmental Screening: A Four-Year Follow-Up of the Revised Denver Developmental Screening Test and the Role of Parent Report

Abstract

The following study compared the effectiveness of the Revised Denver Developmental Screening Test (RDDST) with parental reports of developmental concerns in predicting school problems 4 years following a preschool screening program. Results suggest that the RDDST accurately identified, in the preschool years, only those children who were later found to have severe learning problems in school. The majority of children who had subsequent school problems were not identified by this screening measure. The data also suggest that the concerns of parents about their child's cognitive/academic skills were at least as effective as the child's performance on the RDDST in predicting school problems. Implications of these findings for preschool screening are discussed.

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

“…The results of this study are consistent with a growing body of research demonstrating that parents' concerns about their young child's development are indeed reflective of difficulties their child may be having in specific developmental areas (Diamond, 1987;Glascoe et al, 1989Glascoe et al, ,1991Tomblin, 1987). In this study, children were more likely to be referred for speech, language, or cognitive delays if their parents expressed specific concerns for their child's development in these areas.…”

“…These categories were used because previous research indicated that parents' concerns about their child's speech, language, or cognitive development were closely related to the child's concurrent developmental performance as well as later problems in school (Diamond, 1987;Glascoe, Altemeier, &c MacLean, 1989). The category of no concerns included both parents with concerns other than those associated with speech, language, or development (e.g., he wouldn't go to sleep at night; she fights with her sister all the time) as well as parents expressing no concerns at all (see also Glascoe et al, 1989).…”

“…Although some questions have been raised concerning the validity of parents' reports of their children's skills, the inclusion of information from parents in the assessment of young children is becoming a common practice (Bailey & Wolery, 1989). In recent research, parents' current concerns about their child's development have been reported to be as effective as formal standardized measures in identifying young children with speech, language, or developmental delays (Diamond, 1987;Tomblin, 1987). Glascoe and her colleagues (Glascoe &c MacLean, 1990;Glascoe, MacLean, & Stone, 1991) have found that infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children who failed developmental screening tests tended to have parents with concerns about their child's developmental skills.…”

Practice parameter: Screening and diagnosis of autism

“…However, studies have shown that it detected only 30% of children with language impairments and 50% of children with mental retardation. [12][13][14][15] How are conventional developmental milestones defined? Conventional developmental language milestones are based on normative data from numerous standardized language instruments for infants.…”

The Evidence Behind Developmental Screening Instruments

“…There were 51 predictive validity studies in this synthesis. Some of the research focused on using a screening assessment to predict (a) special education status/placement (Mantzicopoulos, 1999b; Mantzicopoulos & Maller, 2002), (b) referrals for diagnostic testing (Eno & Woehlke, 1995;Frankenburg et al 1976), (c) performance on formal assessments (Feeney & Bernthal, 1996), (d) later academic/school achievement (Diamond, 1987, INFANTS & YOUNG CHILDREN/JANUARY-MARCH 2012 1990; Gordon, 1988;Gullo, Clements, & Robertson, 1984;Lindquist, 1982;Taylor & Ivimey, 1980;Valencia, 1984;VanDerHeyden et al, 2004VanDerHeyden et al, , 2006, (e) as a screener for kindergarten to measure school readiness constructs (Cadman et al, 1984), and (f) later grade retention (Wenner, 1995).…”