Determining the Clinical Utility of the Merrill-Palmer-Revised Scales of Development in a Sample of Children with Autistic Disorder
Year: 2013
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: The aim of this study was to determine aspects of the clinical usefulness of the Merrill-Palmer-Revised Scales of Development (M-P-R) in children diagnosed with Autistic Disorder (AD).The revised developmental measure reports strong levels of reliability and validity in a standardization sample.While some clinical subsamples were included to help establish the test's validity, the group of children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) was limited to a sample size of 14.The present study recruited 50 children with Autistic Disorder (41 male, 9 female) ranging in age from 40 months to 78-months, along with a matched non-clinical sample that was obtained from the M-P-R standardization data.Each group's performance was obtained from the Cognitive Battery, Gross Motor Battery, and supplemental language and parent rating forms.Observations were also made to the special groups outlined in the M-P-R Manual.The results suggested that the M-P-R is a tool sensitive in identifying developmental delay, but not specific in differentiating among children diagnosed with AD and other common early childhood Determining the Clinical Utility of M-P-R Scales iv disorders.In part, the large variability in test performance across the AD sample contributed to this diagnostic weakness.Determining the Clinical Utility of M-P-R Scales v Acknowledgements This research was made possible by the generous support and sacrifices of many individuals.I could not have completed this project without the unending love and encouragement from my husband, CW 2 Brent Peters.He has helped me accept that life's Plan A is not always the right path.Plan B has forced me to embrace the reality of being a "nontraditional" student; finding balance between parenting and my career aspirations.I thank my daughter, Sadie, for her patience during this process and baby Eloise for pushing me to find the strength to complete this project.Uncle Pat, thank you for telling me to complete my degree.An enormous amount of gratitude is extended towards my dear family and friends for the much needed support and encouragement.And to Wayne Adams, my dissertation chair, I cannot fully express my appreciation for your patience and willingness to guide me through this project.
Author: Meaghan Peters
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W648364684