19477
The Mullen Scales of Early Learning: Ceiling Effect Among Preschool Children
Friday, May 15, 2015: 11:30 AM-1:30 PM
Imperial Ballroom (Grand America Hotel)
A. Harel, N. Yitzhak, M. Yaari, E. Friedlander and N. Yirmiya, Psychology Department, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
Background: Several specialized tests are available to assess intelligence in young children. One common test for cognitive abilities is the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, designed for children ages 3 through 12 years. Another test is The Mullen Scales of Early Learning, which is a developmental test that may be administered to infants and preschool children, from birth through 68 months of age. The MSEL is frequently used in research and clinical evaluations of children with ASD. During comprehensive research conducted in our laboratory, in the context of risk to develop ASDs, we encountered a unique opportunity to compare testing patterns on the MSEL and K-ABC assessments. We soon realized that some children were receiving different development Quotient (DQ) / Intelligence quotient (IQ) scores based on the MSEL and K-ABC. More specifically, the cognitive evaluation obtained by the MSEL was usually lower than the parallel evaluation received using K-ABC, and generally underestimated the child's cognitive abilities. When looking carefully through the norms of the MSEL, we found that the participants at the upper end of the age range demonstrated lower standard deviations due to a ceiling effect.
Objectives: We hypothesized that the ceiling effect of the MSEL may be more significant than indicated by the manual, and that the test might be unsuitable for children with above-average cognitive abilities.
Methods: 256 children (128 females) ranging in age from 36 through 67 months (M= 48.27 months) participated. Children were born between 2003 and 2008, and were considered to be at low risk for ASD.
Results: Comparison of the two tests revealed that for the group of children between the ages of 36 to 50 months, the MSEL scores were not different than the scores on the K-ABC. However, for children ranging in age from 51 through 68 months, we found significant ceiling effect. The MSEL scores were significantly lower than K-ABC scores, and with increasing age, the prevalence of children who completed the MSEL without establishing a ceiling level increased (figure 1).
Conclusions: The MSEL has a ceiling effect and therefore underestimates cognitive abilities among older and more cognitively able children.
