Learning Accomplishment Profile Research Articles

Predictive Model Construction for Social-Emotional Competence of Toddlers in Shanghai, China: A Population-Based Study.

ObjectiveTo construct a simple model containing predictors derived from Chinese Learning Accomplishment Profile (C-LAP) to better the evaluation of the social–emotional development of toddlers aged 24–36 months.MethodThe test results by C-LAP system and demographic information of toddlers aged 24–36 months were collected between 2013 and 2019 in Shanghai, China, whose guardians were voluntary to accept the investigation. We developed a norm with the dataset based on the study population. With the norm, stepwise regression and best subset analysis were applied to select predictors.ResultsRelying on the norm established and stepwise regression and also the best subset analysis, an optimal model containing only 6 indicators was finally determined and the nomogram of the model was constructed. In the training and validation dataset, the AUCs of the optimal model were 0.95 (95% CI: 0.94–0.96) and 0.88 (95% CI: 0.85–0.90), respectively. When the cutoff point of the model was set at 0.04, its sensitivity in training and validation dataset was 0.969 and 0.949, respectively, and the specificity in training and validation dataset is 0.802 and 0.736, respectively.ConclusionA simplified predictive model which includes only 6 items derived from C-LAP is developed to evaluate the probabilities of being at risk of developmental problem in social–emotional development for toddlers aged 24–36 months. Meanwhile, specificity and sensitivity of the model may be high enough for future fast screening.

Reliability, Validity, and Responsiveness of the Chinese Learning Accomplishment Profile (C-LAP).

Objectives: To evaluate the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the Chinese Learning Accomplishment Profile in China. Methods: 12,098 participants aged from 0 to 36 months from 30 provinces (mostly from Shanghai) in China were enrolled between 2013 and 2020. The reliability was reflected by Pearson correlation coefficients, Cronbach’s alpha coefficients and standard errors; the validity was shown by the coefficients between the dimensions, and we also evaluated the responsiveness as a supplement to the validity. Results: Reliability: in six domains among each subgroup, Pearson correlation coefficients between developmental age and chronological age ranged from 0.89 to 0.98, Cronbach’s alpha coefficients from 0.71 to 0.99, and standard errors from 0.15 to 2.76. Validity: after controlling for chronological age, the correlation coefficients between the dimensions were between 0.18 and 0.78, and most of them were below 0.70. Responsiveness: developmental age of all domains obtained via the Chinese Learning Accomplishment Profile system changed significantly (p < 0.001) with time (gap of 1–3 months), and the standardized response mean ranged from 0.66 to 2.45. Conclusions: The Chinese Learning Accomplishment Profile is suitable for assessing children’s development in Shanghai, but still needs confirmation when used in other provinces in China due to the great differences between regions in China.

Dynamic Assessment Language Tasks and the Prediction of Performance on Year-End Language Skills in Preschool Dual Language Learners.

Purpose Early identification is a key element for accessing appropriate services for preschool children with language impairment. However, there is a high risk of misidentifying typically developing dual language learners as having language impairment if inappropriate tools designed for monolingual children are used. In this study of children with bilingual exposure, we explored performance on brief dynamic assessment (DA) language tasks using graduated prompting because this approach has potential applications for screening. We asked if children's performance on DA language tasks earlier in the year was related to their performance on a year-end language achievement measure. Method Twenty 4-year-old children from Spanish-speaking homes attending Head Start preschools in the southwestern United States completed three DA graduated prompting language tasks 3-6 months prior to the Head Start preschools' year-end achievement testing. The DA tasks, Novel Adjective Learning, Similarities in Function, and Prediction, were administered in Spanish, but correct responses in English or Spanish were accepted. The year-end achievement measure, the Learning Accomplishment Profile-Third Edition (LAP3), was administered by the children's Head Start teachers, who also credited correct responses in either language. Results Children's performance on two of the three DA language tasks was significantly and positively related to year-end LAP3 language scores, and there was a moderate and significant relationship for one of the DA tasks, even when controlling for age and initial LAP3 scores. Conclusions Although the relationship of performance on DA with year-end performance varies across tasks, the findings indicate potential for using a graduated prompting approach to language screening with young dual language learners. Further research is needed to select the best tasks for administration in a graduated prompting framework and determine accuracy of identification of language impairment.

Effects of Dog-Assisted Therapy on Communication and Basic Social Skills of Adults With Intellectual Disabilities: A Pilot Study.

Thirty-nine adults with severe to profound intellectual disability (ID) were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n = 21) or a control group (n = 18). Assessment was blinded and included selected items from the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), the Behavioral Assessment Battery (BAB), and the Learning Accomplishment Profile (LAP). The experimental group, who attended a dog-assisted treatment intervention over a 20-week period, showed significant improvements in several cognitive domains, including attention to movement (BAB-AM), visuomotor coordination (BAB-VM), exploratory play (BAB-EP), and motor imitation (BAB-CO-MI), as well as in some social skills, as measured by LAP items. Effects were specific to the intervention and independent of age or basic level of disability.

Montessori Public School Pre-K Programs and the School Readiness of Low-Income Black and Latino Children.

Within the United States, there are a variety of early education models and curricula aimed at promoting young children's pre-academic, social, and behavioral skills. This study, using data from the Miami School Readiness Project (MSRP; Winsler et al., 2008, 2012), examined the school readiness gains of low-income Latino (n = 7,045) and Black children (n = 6,700) enrolled in two different types of Title-1 public school pre-K programs: those in programs using the Montessori curricula and those in more conventional programs using the High/Scope curricula with a literacy supplement. Parents and teachers reported on children's socio-emotional and behavioral skills with the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA), while children's pre-academic skills (cognitive, motor, and language) were assessed directly with the Learning Accomplishment Profile Diagnostic (LAP-D) at the beginning and end of their four-year-old pre-K year. All children, regardless of curricula, demonstrated gains across pre-academic, socio-emotional, and behavioral skills throughout the pre-K year; however, all children did not benefit equally from Montessori programs. Latino children in Montessori programs began the year at most risk in pre-academic and behavioral skills, yet exhibited the greatest gains across these domains and ended the year scoring above national averages. Conversely, Black children exhibited healthy gains in Montessori, but demonstrated slightly greater gains when attending more conventional pre-K programs. Findings have implications for tailoring early childhood education programs for Latino and Black children from low-income communities.

PO-0834 Long-term Developmental Outcome Of Children Prenatally Exposed To Antiepileptic Drugs

<h3>Background and aims</h3> The long-term effects of intra-uterine exposure antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) on cognitive functioning are limited and conflicting. The aim of the study was to assess the remote effects of fetal AEDs on cognitive outcomes in children. <h3>Methods</h3> Children, aged 2–4 years, with fetal exposure of carbamazepine (CBZ), lamotrigine (LTG) or valproate (VPA) monotherapy were recruited from the local registry of Epilepsy-Pregnancy. Neuropsychological assessment was performed in all cases with Learning Accomplishment Profile (LAP) for children of 1–6 years. All age groups were evaluated with Wide Range Assessment of Visual Motor Abilities (WRAVMA) tests. The results were compared to the results of the epidemiological study evaluating developmental achievements in general preschool children population. <h3>Results</h3> In total 39 children were assessed. Eleven (28%) were exposed to intra-uterine VPA, 22 (56%) to CBZ and six (15%) to LTG. From whole group poor performance in expressive speech was detected in nine persons (23%; 95% CI 12% - 44%) and there were no cases with fetal exposure to LTG. Out of children with fetal-VPA exposure (n = 11) the speech problems were observed in three cases (27%); from 22 children with CBZ intra-uterine exposure – in six (27%); no significant deficits were revealed in other developmental milestones. <h3>Conclusions</h3> The data of our study suggests that difficulties in verbal abilities are more often associated with fetal exposure to VPA and CBZ. For more conclusive results further profound neuropsychological evaluations are needed.

Prediction of treatment outcomes and longitudinal analysis in children with autism undergoing intensive behavioral intervention

Outcome prediction is an important component of treatment planning and prognosis. However, reliable predictors of intensive behavioral intervention (IBI) have not been clearly established. IBI is an evidence-based approach to the systematic teaching of academic, social, verbal, and daily living skills to individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Incorporating longitudinal analysis to IBI outcome studies may help to identify outcome predictors of clinical value. Twenty-four children with autism underwent on average two years of IBI and completed language, daily living skills, cognitive, and motor assessments (Early Learning Accomplishment Profile and the Learning Accomplishment Profile-Diagnostic, 3rd edition) every six months. We used multilevel analysis to identify potential longitudinal predictors including gender, age, intervention intensity, intervention duration, total intervention time, and pre-intervention functioning. Results indicated that total intervention time, pre-intervention functioning, and age caused the greatest increase in goodness-of-fit of the longitudinal multilevel models. Longitudinal analysis is a promising analytical strategy to identify reliable predictors of the clinical outcome of IBI.

Progress of Infants/Toddlers With Severe Disabilities

An exploratory case study was undertaken to examine child and caregiver outcomes in a diverse sample of 21 infants/toddlers with severe disabilities who received services from an urban, Part C program where caregiver-focused intervention was emphasized. Purposive sampling and mixed methods were used to collect data on child developmental change, rate of progress, and caregiver self-efficacy. Analyses revealed that (a) child developmental gains were significant across all subscales of the Early Learning Accomplishment Profile–Revised (ELAP-R) with large effect sizes, (b) individual rates of progress were highly variable as measured by proportional change index (PCI) scores, (c) caregivers attributed improvement in self-efficacy and parenting competence to involvement in this program, (d) caregivers whose child received services at home reported slightly greater levels of self-efficacy than those whose child was seen in a center-based context, and (e) location of service produced equally significant, positive changes in child outcome. Implications for research and practice were discussed.

Stability and sequence of center-based and family childcare: Links with low-income children's school readiness

Abstract The school readiness of a large sample (n = 2682) of ethnically and linguistically diverse, low-income children was examined as a function of whether children remained in family childcare (FCC) or center-based care (CBC) throughout their three and four-year-old preschool years, or whether they switched to the other type of childcare or to a public school pre-K program at age four. Children's pre-academic development (cognition, fine motor, and language) was assessed with the Learning Accomplishment Profile — Diagnostic (LAP-D), and teachers and parents rated children's social skills and behavior concerns with the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA) at three time points over two years. All children, regardless of childcare sequence, demonstrated some gains in school readiness. However, children receiving stable CBC over the two years made moderate gains in pre-academic skills and teacher-reported social skills. Children in stable FCC exhibited some gains in fine motor, language, and teacher reported-social skills but lost ground relative to national norms in cognitive skills. Children who switched between CBC and FCC did not show as much pre-academic growth (with those who switched to FCC gaining the least); however, children who switched from CBC to FCC did demonstrate strong teacher-reported social skills. Children who switched to public school pre-K programs at age four showed the strongest school readiness and were the only group to score above national averages in language and cognition.

School readiness among low-income, Latino children attending family childcare versus centre-based care

Latino children often struggle in school. Early childhood education programmes are seen as critical for fostering children's school readiness. Latino families often choose family childcare (FCC) over centre-based childcare (CBC), yet little is known about the school readiness of Latino children attending FCC. We compared school readiness over the pre-kindergarten year for low-income Latino children who attended either FCC or CBC with childcare subsidies. Teachers and parents rated children's social skills and behaviour with the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment. Cognitive, motor, and language development were assessed with the Learning Accomplishment Profile Diagnostic. Although there were no family demographic differences between children who attended FCC versus CBC, children in CBC improved over time in cognitive, language, and social skills, whereas children in FCC stayed the same or lost ground in these areas over time, especially boys. The school readiness of Latino children, especially boys, may be better served by attending CBC.

The early developmental competencies and school readiness of low-income, immigrant children: Influences of generation, race/ethnicity, and national origins

Abstract Though much valuable research has been conducted on the academic achievement of school-age immigrant youth, less is known about the early developmental competencies of immigrant children during the preschool years. This study describes the school readiness of 2194 low-income children receiving subsidies to attend child care with emphasis on how nativity status (generation), race/ethnicity, and national origins might be related to children's preparedness for kindergarten. The Learning Accomplishment Profile–Diagnostic (LAP-D) was used to measure cognitive and language skills, while teacher-report on the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA) measured socio-emotional protective factors and behavior concerns. Results demonstrate that variation does exist in school readiness according to nativity-based factors. First- and second-generation immigrants lagged behind children in non-immigrant families in cognitive and language skills but excelled by comparison in socio-emotional skills and behavior. In many cases, first-generation immigrant children showed more advanced development than second-generation immigrant children, providing some evidence in the early years for an immigrant advantage. The present study raises awareness regarding some of the strengths immigrant children demonstrate from a very young age—strengths that can be built upon to encourage their later success and academic achievement.

A comparison of developmental versus functional assessment in the rehabilitation of young children

The purpose of this study was to explore the differences in and potential uses of information derived from developmental vs. functional assessment during the acute rehabilitation of very young children with acquired brain injury. Both methods of assessment are typically used during hospitalization in order to assist in developing individualized goals and outcome measures. With the trend of shortened hospital stays, effective assessment for determining optimal treatment goals and outcomes becomes increasingly important. The results from a developmental and a functional assessment obtained on 23 inpatient children below 6 years of age who had experienced either an acquired brain injury or encephalitis were compared. The data was collected through a retrospective chart review spanning 4 years. Each child received a cognitive and a language test using either the Early Learning Accomplishment Profile (E-LAP) or the Learning Accomplishment Profile Diagnostic (LAP-D) for the developmental assessment measure. The Functional Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM) was used as a functional assessment. Summary statistics and frequencies were calculated for variables including age and diagnosis. Partial Pearson correlations and 95% confidence intervals were calculated between the functional and developmental assessments, adjusting for the amount of time between administrations of the two exams. Pearson correlations were computed between length of hospital stay and performance on the developmental and functional quotients. Moderate, statistically significant Pearson partial correlations were found between the E-LAP/LAP-D cognitive quotient and the WeeFIM cognitive quotient (r = 0.42, 95% CI (0, 0.72)), the E-LAP/LAP-D language quotient and the WeeFIM cognitive quotient (r = 0.55, 95% CI (0.17, 0.79)) and the E-LAP/LAP-D cognitive quotient and the WeeFIM total quotient (r = 0.50, 95% CI (0.10, 0.76)). An inverse correlation was found between the length of stay and the E-LAP/ LAP-D cognitive quotient (r = -0.68, 95% CI (-0.86, -0.34)) as well as the E-LAP/LAP-D language quotient (r = -0.61, 95% CI (-0.83, -0.23)). The moderate but limited correlations between developmental and functional assessments may be attributed to differences in the two forms of assessment including the test items, their administration and scoring. While both forms of assessment were thought to be useful for developing individualized treatment goals and measuring outcomes, there were advantages and disadvantages to each.

Balance and Motor Skills in Young Children With Sensorineural Hearing Impairment

The purpose of this study was to compare the static and dynamic balance, motor abilities, and postrotatory nystagmus (PRNT) test results of four- to five-year-old children with sensorineural hearing impairment (SNHI) to those of typically developing peers. Seven children with SNHI and six typically developing peers comprised the experimental and control groups, respectively. Static balance was measured as duration of single-leg stance with eyes open and eyes closed. Kinematic analysis of responses during tilt board perturbation with eyes open and eyes closed comprised testing of dynamic balance. Motor abilities were defined by performance on the Learning Accomplishment Profile Gross Motor Subscale. The data indicate that a majority of children with SNHI present with aberrant PRNT results, delayed maturation of equilibrium reactions, and age-appropriate performance in a general developmental screening test. Implications for clinicians working with preschool-aged children with SNHI are discussed, as are directions for future research.

Family Characteristics, Family Training, and the Progress of Young Children with Autism

Although the efficacy of parent training has been demonstrated for many young children with autism, it is clear that not all participants derive similar benefits from this type of service. Pursuant to suggestions in the parent training literature, this study was conducted to explore aspects of family functioning as they relate to the progress of young children in a family-oriented training program. A number of child and family variables, including mother-reported stress, were assessed at intake, and child progress was measured over a year-long period. Correlational analyses were conducted to determine which variables were related to child outcome. The clearest finding to emerge from the analyses was a strong relationship between mother-reported stress on the Parenting Stress Index and child progress on the Learning Accomplishment Profile (LAP) or the Early-LAP. The results are related to findings with other child populations and implications for individualized support for young children with autism and their families are discussed.

The Educational Progress of Normal Peers in an Integrated Preschool Class with Autistic Children: A Preliminary Report

The educational progress of four normal peers integrated for one year into a preschool class with five children with autism was examined with the Learning Accomplishment Profile and the Preschool Language Scale. Both measures showed that the peers, who had functioned at or above age level at the time of admission, made substantial progress in their developmental rate during the 11 months they were enrolled in the integrated classroom. These data support the value to normal children of being in an integrated classroom. The importance of a well-planned curriculum and educationally sophisticated teaching staff is stressed.

A validity study of two preschool screening instruments: The LAP-D and DIAL-R

This study compared the Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning—Revised (DIAL-R) and the Learning Accomplishment Profile—Diagnostic (LAP-D) for a sample of 121 children in an urban Head Start program. To examine validity, guidelines suggested by the multitrait-multimethod model (MTMM) were employed. The results indicated significant correlations between like-named scales, providing evidence for convergent validity. However, the within-method correlations often equaled or exceeded the validity coefficients, as did the between-method correlations of dissimilar scales. Thus the simultaneous requirements of both convergent and discriminant validity were not met. From the viewpoint of professional practices, the results suggest that profiles cannot be interpreted with confidence. New instruments and procedures are needed that reflect research and theory associated with the principles of psychosocial Change.

An Analysis of the Construct Validity of two Measures of Adaptive Behavior

Although the measurement of adaptive behavior has been proposed as a means of reducing diagnostic error, concerns regarding the construct validity of adaptive behavior measures have only been partly addressed. A multitrait-multimethod analysis was used to examine evidence of construct validity for the Developmental Profile and the condensed Learning Accomplishment Profile with a sample of preschool children referred for psychological evaluation. The relationship between these two measures and the Stanford-Binet was also examined. Overall, the results indicated substantial mean-score differences across instruments, a low degree of convergent and discriminant validity across adaptive behavior domains, and a high degree of within-scale intercorrelations that would disallow meaningful profile interpretation. The Developmental Profile seemed to be excessively correlated with the Binet.

Correlates of Parental-Professional Congruency Scores in the Assessment of Young Handicapped Children

While the exact roles of parents during assessment procedures with young handicapped children have been debated in the literature, few attempts have been made to examine the influence of specific descriptors on parental-professional congruency scores. This article examines the relationships between two clusters of variables and parental-professional congruency scores for the Learning Accomplishment Profile—Diagnostic Edition: parent-related variables (age, educational level, income, and number of other children) and handicapped child-related variables (chronological age, length of time enrolled in an early intervention program, IQ, sex, and type of program model). For mother-professional congruency scores, family income had the most significant relationship. Type of program model in which the handicapped child was enrolled (home-based or center-based) had the most significant relationship to father-professional congruency scores, Implications for using parents as data sources during assessment procedures are discussed,

Comparison of Maternal Estimates and Performance-Based Assessment Scores for Young Handicapped Children

The authors compared maternal estimates of child performance and performance-based scores using the Learning Accomplishment Profile. Very strong positive relationships were found for maternal estimates and evaluator ratings for overall scores as well as for four subscales. No significant difference was found for overall scores between the two data sources. A significant difference was found, however, for one subscale, gross motor. Results indicated that professionals should be aware of the purpose of individual assessment activities in order to effectively use parents as data sources.