Poster group
Details of individual items:
poster
Objective: To develop a valid, efficient and feasible screeningmodel for detecting neurodevelopmental delay in infants.Methods: Two hundred twenty infants, 89 of whom were preterm,very low birthweight, were assessed at approximately 8 months ofage (adjusted for prematurity as appropriate). The InfantDevelopment Inventory (IDI) was mailed out and completed byparents, describing Social, Self Help, Fine Motor, Gross Motorand Language skills. Delay was defined as scoring 20% or morebelow age on any one of the 5 subscales. The Bayley InfantNeurodevelopmental Screener (BINS) was administered by trainedexaminers. The BINS takes 10 minutes to complete, can beadministered by a variety of pediatric professionals and assessesBasic Neurological Functions/Intactness, Receptive Functions,Expressive Functions and Cognitive Processes. Delay was definedas scoring in the High Risk category; Low and Moderate Risk weregrouped as normal. The Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II,Mental Scale, administered by psychologists, was used as thecriterion measure for delayed (Mental Development Index below 85)versus normal (MDI at or above 85) development.Results: A Sequential Screening Model was developed andevaluated. At screening Stage 1, the IDI would be completed.Infants delayed on the IDI would be referred directly to formalassessment using the Bayley Mental Scale. Of the 14 infants withMDIs in the delayed range, 71.4% were identified by the IDI atStage 1. Infants scoring within the normal range on the IDI wouldproceed to Stage 2, where the BINS would be administered. Infantsat high risk on the BINS would be referred for testing with theBayley Mental Scale. An additional 14.3% of the infants with MDIsin the delayed range were identified at by the BINS at Stage 2.Infants screened as Low or Moderate risk on the BINS at Stage 2would continue to be monitored, as appropriate, by their follow-up program, community health clinic or primary physician.Validity of the Sequential Screening Model is supported by itshigh sensitivity (85.7%), and moderate specificity (51.0%).Efficiency is evident in that most of the delayed children wereidentified using the Sequential Screening Model, and only 51.4%of the total sample would have been referred for the more costlyformal assessment. Feasibility is good: the IDI and BINS areinexpensive, quick and easy to administer.Conclusion: The Sequential Screening Model is a valid, efficientand feasible approach to identifying infants with developmentaldelays. It utilizes the IDI, a parent-report inventory of abroad range of infant developmental milestones, as Stage 1 in thescreening sequence. Infants scoring within normal limits on theIDI would then be screened with the BINS, a brief hands-onassessment of neurodevelopmental status, at Stage 2. At eitherstage, delayed or high-risk infants would be referred for formaldiagnostic assessment. Infants who performed within normal limitsat both stages would be monitored as appropriate.
poster
Accurate assessments of mental age are an important component of research designs in developmental psychopathology which require MA matching. The Bayley Scales of Infant Development, 2nd Edition, (Bayley II) are widely used to derive MDI (mental development index) scores for this purpose in infancy research. However, current interest in the developmental relations among cognitive, linguistic and social development in infants raises new issues about the value for matching purposes of broad assessments of mental age which confound these three areas. Bayley II contains a sub-scale, the 'cognitive facet', which comprises items which are intended to have predominantly cognitive content. However, a significant proportion of these items also contributes to the 'social' and language' facets. We have piloted a short form of Bayley II, using items which appear to be relatively free of such confounds and with reference to other research on the performance of Bayley II items. In a longitudinal study of 9 infants with Down's syndrome and 18 typically developing infants, this short form was administered at 4, 7 and 10 months with the typically-developing infants and 6, 12 and 18 months with the infants with Down's syndrome. The performance of this short form will be evaluated and related to information-processing measures derived from a set of perceptual-cognitive experiments in which visual attention regulation and habituation/dishabituation were measured. Research supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (grant no. R000236722) and the Open University Research Committee.
poster
The concept of withdrawal in infants remains somewhat underdefined, despite its frequent use in clinical practice. Sustained withdrawal behavior in infancy is an important alarm signal to draw attention to both organic and relationship disorders. Withdrawal is a key symptom of infant depression (Spitz, 1946 ; Herzog & Rathbun, 1982). Severe withdrawal can also be seen in infants with Anxiety Disorders, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders, Pervasive Development Disorders and with infants suffering from chronic and severe pain. Withdrawal behavior has a strong correlation with insecure attachment disorders. Withdrawal is also a key feature of non-organic failure to thrive. A social withdrawal scale (Baby Alarm Distress Scale, BADS) for infants between 2 and 24 months of age was build, to be used for screening and assessment in well-baby clinics, making use of the large array of stimulations in a brief period of time during the pediatric examination. The paper describes the construction of the scale and the assessment of its psychometric properties. The BADS has good content validity, based on seven experts advice. The scale has good criterion validity: firstly as a measure of the infant's withdrawal reaction, with a very good correlation between nurse and pediatrician on the BADS (rs 0.84); secondly, as a screening procedure for detecting the developmental risk of the infant. The cut-off score of 5 with a sensitivity of 0.82 and a specificity of 0.78 was determined to be optimal for screening purposes. The scale has good construct validity, with good convergent validity with both Spitz's (1946) and Herzog & Rathbun's (1982) lists of symptoms of infant depression (rs: 0.61 and 0.60). Exploratory factor analysis showed two different factors, consistent with the scale's construct. Reliability is satisfactory with good internal consistency for both subscales (Cronbach's alpha 0.80 for the first subscale and 0.79 for the second) and for the global scale (alpha 0.83). The test-retest procedure showed good stability over time (rs 0.90 and 0.84 for the two different raters). The scale could be used in different clinical settings, provided a sufficient level of social stimulations is given to the infant in a relatively brief period of time, on the model of Winnicott's Set Situation. The BADS can be used for measuring the severity of the withdrawal behavior, or as a screening tool for detecting further developmental risk with the withdrawn infant. After a short period of training, the assessment can be made either by a medical doctor, or by a non-medical professional, especially by nurses or psychologists. The scale should facilitate the recognition and the evaluation of withdrawal behavior in infants in common clinical practice.-Herzog, D. B., Rathbun, J .M. (1982). Childhood Depression: Developmental Considerations. American Journal of Diseases of Childhood, 13, 115-120.-Spitz, R.A. (1946). Anaclitic Depression. Psychoanalytical Study of the Child, 2, 313-341.
poster
Trichotillomania was first described 110 years ago by Hallopeau, but there has been little research attention to the disorder until the last decade. Early reports of trichotillomania in children describe the disorder as rare and related to emotional deprivation. More recent studies report trichotillomania to be more common than previously described, with a prevalence in the range of 1-2%. The reported ratio of males to females with trichotillomania varies with age, with a preponderance of females at older ages. The median age of onset of cases of trichotillomania reported in the literature was six years for males and 12 years for females. There has been major discussion as to whether the early onset (infant and preschool) and later onset (childhood adolescence) trichotillomania are the same condition. The early onset condition has been described as mild and often self-limited. It has been suggested that the early onset condition may be associated with increased development and family psychopathology. The later onset condition has been described as more severe and chronic. Co-morbid diagnoses of affective, disruptive and anxiety disorders have been reported. There has been some controversy about the classification of trichotillomania in DSMIV as an impulsive disorder. Some authors have made the case for classifying the disorder as an anxiety disorder. The childhood onset disorder has been conceptualized as an anxiety disorder. In fact, it would be difficult to document DSMIV criteria B and C for trichotillomania in infants, toddlers and preschool children. Others have described trichotillomania as a habit disorder similar to nail biting, thumb sucking or nose picking. Hair pulling may better describe the disorder in young children. Since there have been anecdotal reports of the onset of hair pulling (trichotillomania) in the first several years of life, we were interested in the frequency of hair pulling in the population of infants and toddlers referred to an infant mental health clinic. All of the records (N125) of the infants and toddlers seen in infant mental health clinics over a period of three years were reviewed for the presenting problem of hair pulling. We report on the results of this record review in this paper. A total of 15 infants and toddlers presented with hair pulling as one of their primary complaints. There were three boys and 12 girls in this group. The average age of presentation was 28 months (Table 1). The most common additional diagnoses were anxiety disorders, language disorders and developmental disorders. Although numerous treatment approaches for trichotillomania have been described in the literature, no report has focused on this early onset group. Psychodynamic, behavioral and hypnosis therapy have been reported to be the most useful interventions in older children and adults. Psychopharmacology approaches have been recently reported to be useful. We describe our multi-modal indirect intervention approach for the infants and toddlers in our group. Trichotillomania, an anxiety disorder variant, may be one of the earliest occurring psychiatric conditions. Hair pulling (trichotillomania) in infants, toddlers and preschoolers need further investigation.
poster
We carry out the first Russian longitudinal study of infant twins from 3to 42 months of age (22 DZ -11 female and 11 male pairs; and 17 MZ - 7female and 10 male pairs) from 1995. For evaluation of mental development weuse the Bayley Scale of Infant Development (the second edition). The mentalscale items of Bayley Test were divided to subscales to assess specialabilities. The subscales were the following: I.Cognition -1)intrasensorcoordination: visual and manual; 2)concept of object and space: intersensorcoordinations: visual -hearing; visual - manual; extrapolation, control ofactions; II.Social cognitions:1)cooperation, 2)vocalisations,gestures,speech. In present time we have done 161 tests with infants twins. The testswere done in the following age intervals:3-5; 7-8, 11-12, 18, 24, 30, 36 and42 months. The aims of this study were to evaluate the universal andindividual peculiarities of the mental, motor, behavior development, toassess the temperament and family attitudes.In this paper we discribed onlythe general peculiarities of twin mental development. Current results of ourstudy showed the peculiarities of twin development. Universal peculiaritiesfor MZ and DZ twins: 1).The mental development of twins delay in comparewith singleton American infants (Kamel et al.,1997) and can be compared withinfants with brain damage (Kamel et al.,1997). 2)The influence of biologicalfactors (gestation age, weight, asphyxia) on mental and psychomotordevelopment continued during 2-3 years after born. 3).The rates of mentaland psychomotor development were uneven and there was crisis, that relatedwith verbal development in 2 years. 4).Genetic and enviromental influenceswere uneven too during the first three years. 5.The control of actions(special ability) was isolated in the separate factor in 8 months in twins.It was related with the developmental of the self regulation of twininfants.6).In 3 years visual - space and verbal abilities were distinguishedin the separate factors. This process reflected the differentiation of theverbal and performance intellect. Special peculiarities: 1) MZ twinscompensated for the influence of biological risk factors later (till 3years), than DZ twins ( till 2 years) in mental and later in psychomotordevelopment (MZ - in 2 years, DZ- in 1 year). 2)There were the differentfactor structures of mental and psychomotor development in MZ and DZ twins,that means the different ways of mental development in MZ and DZ twins. Thedevelopmental differences MZ and DZ twins were supported our data, that MZtwins were more disadaptive in their behavior.
poster
The BSID II Manual (1993) pointed out that all the three Bayley'sSub-scales (i.e., Mental, Motor and Behavioral) are sensitive todifferences in performance between children, having a delayed development,and the normative sample (p.225). Thus, the aims of this study are: (a)showing the BSID II discriminant validity in correctly classifying normaland pathological infants (Mielo meningo cele; Outcome of birth pain,Cerebral malformation, Psychomotor delay, Epilepsy, Neurologicalpathology); (b) investigating if infants with different pathologicalprofile differs respect to Cognitive, Motor and Social development (Bayley,1993).All the infants (both normal and pathological) were selected according totheir age of gestation, and the pathological infants were chosen inDay-Hospital of the Catholic Infant Neuropshychiatric Institute (AgostinoGemelli Hospital in Rome).Two samples were collected to accomplish the first purpose. Sample oneincluded 55 pathologic infants 1-to-12 months olds. 39 of them were bornPre-Term, 16 were born At-Term. Sample two included 55 normal infants1-to-12 months olds. Sex was balanced in both samples.Another sample of 101 pathologic infants 1-to-36 months old was collectedto accomplish the second purpose of the present study. A team of expertphysicians classified the infants into 6 categories according to thepathology affecting them: Mielo meningo cele, Outcome of birth pain,Cerebral malformation, Psychomotor delay, Epilepsy, Neurological pathology.(a) Discriminant analysis showed that Mental and Motor scores predictednormal vs. pathological group membership. Percent of grouped casescorrectly classified are 74,31% (Pathologic 76,4%; Normal 72,2%).(b) ANOVA showed that the six pathological groups significantly differ inMental and Motor scores. Particularly, infants with NeurologicalImpairments score more lower both in Mental and Motor Scales but not inBehavior Rating Scale.These preliminary results suggest that pathological and normal infantsprobably differs in cognitive and motor development, but they are similarin social and iteractional development. Further studies and a larger sampleare necessary to confirm these hypothesis.
poster
According to several authors (e.g., Bruner, 1977; Schaffer, 1977; Kaye;1982; Stern, 1985; Cohn and Tronick, 1987) early mother-infantinteraction influences early non-verbal communication, objects' knowledge,and emotional conversation as well. In the present study, a newparent-rating intrument was developped to study how parents assess infantbehavior in the cognitive, emotional and social development, in bothinteractional and non-interactional settings. In particular, the items included in the rating scale tap on the followingbehaviors: inattention in specific pauses while feeding, substeined visualattention in caregiver-infant interaction, visual coordination and bodyorientation to caregiver's inputs, infant 's ability to discriminatebetween visual and auditory stimulus, joint attention during dyadicinteraction with objects, positive and negative emotions in response to'contingent' interactions, comprehension of adults' emotions (especiallyjoy and anger), control of emotions: irritability and easiness to beconsoled or to self-console. Feeding, face-to-face interaction, playingwith a rattle, diaper changing and infant alone in the bed provide fiveobservational context in which the parents observed the above behaviors.Previous research (Laicardi, 1998) investigated the factor structure of the80-item form. Four varimax rotated principal components were interpretedaccording to the factor loadigs and tentatively labeled: Interaction,Shared Knowledge, Irritability and Lack of Responsiveness. Fourfactor-derived scales having satisfactory psychometric properties werealso built. Finally, items' number was reduced to 24, for screeningpurposes, selecting the simplest factor markers.The aims of the present research are:a- Cross-validating the factor structure in a new indipendent sample ofinfants, expecting that factors in the new sample are consistent with theprevious findings (Laicardi, 1998);b- Studying factor scores concurrent validity testing them against theBayley's Scale (BSID II, 1993), using another sample of 86 mothers ofinfants 2-to-7 months old months tested with the Bayley Scale.c- Investigating factor scores concurrent validity using a sample of 25infants with different pathologies (Mielo meningo cele; Outcome of birthpain, Cerebral malformation, Psychomotor delay, Epilepsy, Neurologicalpathology), 1-to-6 months old, tested also with the Bayley Scale.The results show that:a- the short form is factorially stable and consistent across differentsamples. Factors reteined in the cross-validation sample overlap with theones reteined in the construction sample.b- the Shared Knowledge factor is positively associated with Mental, Motorand Behavioral Rating Scales. Interaction is negatively correlated with theMental and the Motor development assessed with the Bayley's Scale. Lack ofResponsiveness is negatively correlated with the social developmentassessed with the Bayley's Behavioral Rating Scale only for the 5-7 monthsold group..c- Also in the sample of mothers of infants with pathologies, the SharedKnowledge factor and the Interaction factor are positively correlated withMental, Motor and Behavioral Rating Scale, particularly with the Mentalitems, assessing language development.
poster
Infants raised in orphanages often reach their adoptive families physically stunted and developmentally delayed (Hostetter, et al., 1991). Adoption is a major intervention shown to improve physical growth and behavioral development. Recent studies (Ames, 1997; Rutter et al., 1999), however, show that not all adopted orphanage children make an adequate recovery. Importantly, continued cognitive and behavior problems do not seem to be strongly predicted by growth or developmental delays assessed soon after adoption. One problem may be the lack of specificity of the most frequently used developmental tests (e.g., Denver II, Bayley). It is possible that measures of more specific cognitive functions, such as memory and attention, would be better predictors of later functioning. These more specific tests, however, have never been attempted in this population. The current study examined 25 children two and eight months post-adoption, all of whom spent their first four to eighteen months in orphanages predominantly in China and Russia. A comparison group of family-reared U.S. children, matched on age and sex, were included. Denver II and Bayley Scales of Infant Development were obtained eight months after adoption. At the same time, elicited imitation tasks were administered to assessed memory ability (Bauer, 1996) and a measure of sustained attention was also obtained (Zelinsky, in press). Eight months after adoption, all of the children fell within the normal range on the Denver II. On the Bayley, the adopted children showed a cognitive deficit averaging about one standard deviation below the mean for typically developing children. However, nearly 50% of the adopted children fell within normal range. Marked differences were noted on both the attention and memory tasks. These differences were not correlated with either Bayley or Denver II scores. The adopted children were able to sustain attention for significantly shorter periods than the control children. Using the imitation tasks, we compared the performance of the children on an immediate and a 10-minute delay imitation task. Adopted children did not differ in their performance before the events were modeled, and they were able to imitate immediately after demonstration. They encountered more difficulty, however, in remembering the actions after the 10-minute delay, as compared to the control group. Similar patterns have been found for infants born prematurely (de Haan et al., unpublished 1999), although none of the adopted children were believed to have been premature. This finding may reflect a difference in the development of declarative memory. Based on previous studies of the Romanian adopted children, we believe that within the range of scores seen in our adopted sample, neither the Bayley nor the Denver II should have much predictive power. However, the orphanage experience was associated with deficits in specific measures of attention and memory. Future studies will determine if deficits in these areas are more predictive of later cognitive and behavioral functioning. Understanding the specific cognitive deficits of these children may help in the early identification of children who need intervention after reaching their families.
poster
Clinical observations and empirical studies of at-risk children document the presence of serious and persistent social-emotional problems in infants and toddlers. Epidemiologic data about the prevalence of early problems and competencies are crucial to provide a normative frame for understanding developmental psychopathology. The current absence of knowledge is due, in part, to limitations in appropriate measures for infants and toddlers. This poster presents a new adult-report measure of 12- to 36-month old social emotional problem behaviors and competencies called the Infant-Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (ITSEA). The ITSEA may be used for screening for problem behaviors and delays in the acquisition of social-emotional competencies in Early Head Start as well as for documenting program efficacy. The ITSEA was designed to measure the following areas: Externalizing Problems (Aggression/Defiance, Overactivity, Peer Aggression), Internalizing Problems (Depression/Withdrawal, Separation Distress, General Anxiety, Inhibition), Dysregulation (Sleep Problems, Eating Problems, Negative Emotionality, Tactile Sensitivities), Competencies (Compliance, Attention, Imitation/Play, Mastery Motivation, Empathy-Emotional Knowledge, Prosocial Peer Relations), and Maladaptive Behaviors. Reliability and validity data for the ITSEA are presented based on a representative study of 1279 parents of 1- and 2-year old children. Families were identified from birth records obtained from the Connecticut Department of Public Health. With a response rate of 79.5%, participants were ethnically diverse (i.e., 66% Caucasian not of Hispanic origin, 8% Hispanic, 17% Black/African American, 4% multiracial, 2% Asian, and 3% of other races). Approximately 26% of participants were single parents. Most respondents were biological mothers (96%). Twenty-six percent had a high school degree or fewer years of education, 33% had some education beyond high school but had not completed college, and 41% had a college degree or more. Twenty-nine percent were receiving some form of public assistance (e.g., WIC, TANF, MEDICAID assistance). There was an equal distribution of boys and girls (49.2% versus 50.8%) and a mean age for children of 24.3 months (SD7.2). The median household size was 4 people. One-third of children were only children, 55% were the youngest, and 12% were eldest or middle children. Most parents (82.4%) reported using some form of non-parental child care. Within those who used child care, the mean number of hours per week was 22.2 (SD18.7). Structural equation modeling was employed to examine the coherence of individual scales and broad domains. Results indicated good to excellent fit indices across scales and the broad domains, with Comparative Fit Indices (CFI) ranging from .934 to .996. Alpha coefficients for the four broad domains of the parent and childcare provider ITSEAs were very good to excellent (Cronbach's alphas .78 to .90 for parents and .84 to .92 for childcare providers) . Good to excellent intrascale reliability was observed as well as for individual scales (a.60 to .87). Test-retest reliability (n93) was good to excellent for each of the four domains (Cicchetti & Sparrow, 1981; Fleiss, 1981). Intra-class correlations (ICC's) were the following: Externalizing: .82, Internalizing: .83, Dysregulation: .91, Competence: .90). ICC's for individual scales were good for most scales (.69 to .88) and excellent for Imitation/Play and Sleep (.88).
poster
A screening instrument (170 items) which embraced both learning andbehaviour difficulties (PSILD), completed in 12.7 minutes (average) byparents prior to school entry, was combined with the teacher scoredPupil Rating Scale Revised (PRSR) and the child based Clay LetterIdentification Test (CLAY) at nine months of schooling (N 215; agerange 5.0 - 6.8 years) to predict reading. The PSILD inventoryaddressed the heterogeneity involved in the psychopathology of earlychildhood developmental problems. The fourteen PSILD sub-areas were:Socio-Demographic, Genetic, Pregnancy, Birth, Child Illnesses, Speech-Language, Movement, Social Strength (resilience), Withdrawal, Anxiety,Conduct-Oppositional Disorder, Hyperactivity, Attention and PreschoolAttainment. The reliability level of PSILD was .83 (high) for both test-retest (N 81) and internal consistency (N 215). Predictive validityagainst the WIAT Reading Subtest (word recognition), given at the end ofthe second school year, showed five components of PSILD - parents'educational level and the sub-areas Genetic, Pregnancy, Withdrawal andPreschool Attainment, and the PRSR Auditory Comprehension sub-scale,combined with CLAY and age at school entry (all significant predictors),gave a multiple R of .76 (variance 57%), and a 91.2 percent hit rate(Odds Ratio, 12.6, p < .0001). This result was superior to the resultsof seven recent researchers who employed multiple predictors of readingreported by Scarborough (1998), but avoided the use of trainedspecialists. Computer scored feedback from PSILD to identify at-riskchildren at school entry provided (i) an individual, overall, child risklevel (1-9 scale; 1 high risk, 9 no risk), (ii) a 1-3 risk level(risk, borderline, no risk) for the following difficulty areas :Speech-Language, Movement, Withdrawal, Anxiety, Conduct-Oppositionalproblems, Hyperactivity, Attention, Social Strength and PreschoolAttainment. The scores of the other PSILD sub-areas (Socio-Demographic,Genetic, Pregnancy, Birth and Child Illnesses) were used with the formersub-areas to calculate the overall risk score, but remained confidentialto parents. This information provides teachers with pre-academic andbehavioural profiles at school entry to assist them with earlyindividual child and classroom management. It also provides the basisfor structured parent-teacher interviews soon after school entry. A .25correlation between the PSILD (parent) and PRSR (teacher) behaviour sub-scales at nine months of schooling was very similar to that found byAchenbach et al. (1987) of .27 for 41 parent-teacher samples. Thisprovides a basis for pervasive behavioural evaluation at nine months ofschooling. Joint referrals, by parents and teachers, in the areas oflanguage, movement, behaviour, social welfare and health can befacilitated from PSILD profiles. Longitudinal studies should investigatethe power of PSILD to identify adolescent emotional-behavourialproblems. It should also investigate whether the PSILD Speech-Language,Movement and the behaviour sub-areas can articulate the antecedents offuture depressive disorders and schizophrenia.
poster
A review of the literature indicates language-disordered preschoolers are a challenge to professionals and of great concern to their parents for the disorder is complex, poorly understood and difficult to diagnose. Although parents have been traditionally told to take a 'wait and see' approach-that their youngster will outgrow the problem - there are those who do not spontaneously recover. Historically, the role of parents in the assessment process has been limited. It is only recently with the mandates of Early Intervention that the role of the parent in the assessment process has been acknowledged as important. This has inadvertently led to one of the most widely debated issues among professionals, the role of parent reporting. Traditionally, parental judgement was excluded from the evaluation process due to the widespread belief, on the part of professionals, that parents overestimate their children's abilities. In an attempt to answer the question, 'Is parent reporting accurate?' this pilot study investigated the relationship between test scores obtained by a school psychologist and parent test scores with respect to preschoolers' language disorders and overall development. The sample consisted of 39 preschoolers ranging in age from 31 to 42 months. The children were referred to a special education preschool for an evaluation due to their parents' concerns regarding their language and/or overall development. The Bayley Scales of Infant Development: Second Edition (BSID II) and the communication domain of the Battelle Developmental Inventory (BDI) were administered to obtain measures of children's overall developmental functioning and communication skills, respectively. A structured parent interview was conducted utilizing a modified version of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales: Interview Survey Form (VABS) to determine how each parent viewed his/her child's language and overall development. Data analysis revealed no significant difference between parents' and the psychologist's estimates for children's receptive language skills, expressive language skills and overall communication skills, whether measured by standard score or age equivalent. However, parents gave higher estimates on children's overall developmental functioning than did the school psychologist (p<.000). This was especially noted for parents of low IQ children. These findings have significant implications regarding the importance of parental reporting in diagnosing language disordered preschoolers. Firstly, since parents have been shown to be reliable estimators of their children's communication skills, and are able to distinguish between the language development of low IQ and high IQ children, parents' estimates should be taken seriously when making a diagnosis and factored in when designing a treatment plan. The child's IQ score is a noteworthy measure for predicting the accuracy of parent reporting. If the child's IQ falls between the ranges of 60 and 80, the parent may overestimate the child's IQ score by as much as 15 points.