Potential Predictors of Child Progress as Measured by the Early Intervention Developmental Profile

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which various factors (demographics, intervention, and test score derivatives) were associated with observed developmental gains in a sample of 83 developmentally delayed children. The Early Intervention Developmental Profile (Rogers et al.,1981) was used to measure child progress. The differences between the pre- and posttest ratio scores (developmental age divided by chronological age) on each scale were the dependent variables in six regression analyses, one for each developmental domain (perceptual/fine motor, cognition, language, social, feeding, and gross motor). Each developmental domain generated a unique set of significant predictors. Potential predictors of overall child progress Included the two test score derivatives, the number of assessments and home visits, the mother’s age, and the child’s age at initial testing and medical risk status. 0 Quantitative documentation of progress for handicapped and at-risk infants is a lengthy process of examining data, developing ques-tions, and searching for answers (Sheehan & Krakow, 1981). Consistent and reliable data are essential for accurate analysis, yet the se-lection of appropriate instrumentation often results in compromises since no ideal infant assessment instrument has yet been identi