Abilities Index: A Means to Evaluate Developmental Functions of Young Children with Disabilities

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the psychometric characteristics of the Abilities Index (AI) that was developed to assess the developmental functions of the babies and young children with disabilities (CWDs). The central feature of the AI is that it assesses the characteristics along a range of ability / disability of the young CWDs. The index provides for 19 ratings subdivided across 9 areas as
follows: audition, behavior, intellectual functioning, intentional communication, tonicity, integrity of physical health, vision, structural status, and limbs. In each area, the teacher, the parent, or the clinician rates the child, where normal is assigned a score of 1 and profound disability is assigned a score of 6. In this study, the developmental functions of 120 young CWDs and CWODs were rated by preschool teachers and their mothers. According to the results of the analysis, a) each item score of CWDs and CWODs was found to be significantly different, b) developmental profiles of children with different types of disabilities and two children with autism spectrum disorder are found to be different, c) internal consistency of the AI-Turkish Form, interrater agreement of ratings of teachers and mothers and stability of ratings were acceptable. It is believed that, in Turkey, assessing the developmental functions of the
young CWDs by their parents and teachers might facilitate the professionals and the parents to determine the common goals for intervention programs and to examine the effects of programs.