Sex and race differences in the identification of communicative disorders in preschool children as measured by the Miller Assessment for Preschoolers

Abstract

Twelve hundred four preschool children were administered the Miller Assessment for Preschoolers (MAP), a screening test for children aged 2.5 to 5.5 years designed to identify children at risk for learning problems. Scores on the Verbal Index of the MAP were analyzed for each of six age groups by sex and race, using six 2-way ANOVA's. Results indicated that boys and girls in all six age groups were equally identified as being at risk for communication disorders. In three of six age groups, black children had a greater likelihood of being identified at risk than white children. Results are discussed in terms of cultural and gender bias and compared with other language screening tests.