Parent and Teacher Assessments of the Developmental Status of Children with Severe, Mild/Moderate, or No Developmental Disabilities

Abstract

This study evaluated the correspondence between parent and teacher assessments of children as a function of a child's degree of developmental disability and examined whether this correspondence changed over the course of a preschool year. Children ages 2.5 to 6 years old identified as having severe ( n = 96), mild/moderate ( n = 66), or no disabilities ( n = 63), were rated by parents and teachers on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale at the beginning and end of the preschool year. Preassessment results indicated a significant correlation between parent and teacher ratings and differences in the absolute levels of informants' assessment for children with severe disabilities but not for children with mild/moderate or no disabilities. Implications for assessment of children with disabilities and planning for the children are discussed.