Word usage as measured by parental checklists and language samples: trends, comparisons, and implications

Background

Although parental checklists are well-known for their potential in indexing young children's lexicon size, they can also be used to track children's acquisition of individual words. Word-level data can be used to identify the checklist words most and least commonly employed across groups of children. Like parent-completed vocabulary checklists, samples of spontaneous language use collected from multiple children can also generate measures of word commonality, concerned with the numbers of children producing individual words. To our knowledge, comparisons of word usage as determined by parental checklist and language sample data obtained in parallel from the same children have not been carried out. Also scarce in the empirical literature are item-level analyses of early bilingual lexicons that explore word usage across two emerging languages. The present study aimed to contribute toward bridging both gaps through the analysis of data generated by a bilingual Maltese-English adaptation of the vocabulary checklist of the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories: Words and Sentences (CDI: WS) and spontaneous language samples for the same children. An additional objective was to derive implications for revising the current version of the vocabulary checklist, in preparation for its eventual standardization.

Materials and methods

For 44 Maltese children aged 12, 18, 24, and 30 months, the words reported by their main caregivers on the vocabulary checklist were identified, along with their respective semantic categories. For the same children, 20-min language samples obtained during free play with the caregiver were transcribed orthographically. Words identified through parental report and language sampling were analyzed for commonality, i.e., the number of children producing each word.

Results

Comparison of the word usage patterns obtained through both methods indicated differences in the words most commonly sampled and those most commonly reported, particularly in relation to grammatical categories. Notwithstanding these differences, positive and significant correlations emerged when considering all grammatical categories and languages across commonality levels.

Discussion

The commonality scores based on parental checklist data have implications for reconsidering the length and language balance of the Maltese-English adaptation of the CDI: WS vocabulary checklist. Sampled word usage patterns can contribute additional objectivity in updating the reporting instrument in preparation for its eventual standardization.

The Norwegian CDI-III as an assessment tool for lexical and grammatical development in preschoolers

Parental report instruments are a non-invasive way to assess children's language development and have proved to give both valid and reliable results when used with children under the age of 2;6 (and in some cases up to 3). In this study we examine the newly developed Norwegian edition of a language assessment tool for older preschoolers: MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory III (CDI-III), investigating whether this parental report tool can be used for assessing the language of monolingual Norwegian-speaking children between 2;6 and 4 years. NCDI-III results for 100 children between 2;6 and 4.0 are presented. All sections were significantly intercorrelated. All sections except Pronunciation showed growth with age. Internal consistency was measured both in terms of Cronbach's alpha and corrected item-scale correlation, and the results are discussed considering features of item difficulty distribution. Methodological considerations are discussed, as well as implications relevant both for possible later revisions and for CDI-III adaptations to new languages.

Development and validation of a parental report of toddlers' prosodic skills

This study describes the development and validation of Proso-Quest, a parental report of toddlers' prosodic skills that aims to assess early prosodic development in European Portuguese. The development and validation of Proso-Quest proceeded in three phases. Phase 1 was undertaken (a) to establish the structure of the parental report and select the items considering previous work, (b) to collect input from experts on prosodic development, and (c) to revise the report after a pilot study. Phase 2 examined internal consistency, reliability, test-retest reliability, and correlations between Proso-Quest and a valid measure of vocabulary development. Finally, Phase 3 evaluated the discriminant validity of this report in a clinical sample that frequently presents prosodic impairments. The psychometric properties of Proso-Quest indicated an excellent internal consistency, high test-retest reliability, significant correlations with a valid measure of vocabulary development, and sensitivity to identify prosodic delays. This parental report showed evidence of reliability and validity in describing early prosodic development and impairment, and it may be a useful tool in research and educational assessments, as well as in clinical-based assessments.

Reliability of parental reporting of child snoring in children referred for obstructive sleep apnea

Despite the high number of studies based on subjective reports of snoring, self-reported snoring has hardly been validated at all. As there is no "gold-standard" for objective snoring measurements, studies must evaluate whether the presence of snoring based on parental judgement is linked to objective measurements of nasal and/or pharyngeal obstruction in children referred for obstructive sleep apnea. A total of 146 children (median age 11 years) underwent polysomnography (with snoring recording using nasal cannula signal), acoustic rhinometry and pharyngometry, while their parents filled out the Spruyt-Gozal questionnaire assessing both frequency and loudness of subjective snoring. Three categories were further differentiated (null, low and high) for both frequency and loudness. The apnea-hypopnea index was significantly different in the three groups for both frequency (p = 0.04) and loudness (p = 0.01) of subjective snoring. Children in the low or high groups (frequency or loudness), compared with those in the null group, experienced a decline in both pharyngeal (sitting and supine positions) and nasopharyngeal (supine position) volumes (frequency, pharynx sitting: p = 0.03; supine: 0.005 and nasopharynx: p = 0.002; loudness, p = 0.03; p = 0.007 and p = 0.03; three group comparisons). Objective snoring frequency during the night obtained with cannula was weakly related to loudness of subjective snoring but not to subjective snoring frequency during the week, and was biased by nasal obstruction. In conclusion, our study showed that parental assessment of snoring is related to a reduction in both pharyngeal and nasopharyngeal volumes in snorers, arguing for the adequacy of their evaluation of both snoring frequency and loudness.

Trajectory and determinants of agreement between parental and physicians' reports of childhood atopic dermatitis

BACKGROUND

Parent self-administered reports are commonly used in studies on childhood atopic dermatitis (AD) but data on its validity are sparse. We aimed to examine the agreement between parent- and physician-reported measures of childhood AD throughout early life and identify the determinants.

METHODS

In this prospective cohort study, we used data of 449 infants and their mothers recruited in the Ulm SPATZ Health Study in Germany. Longitudinal data of parental and children's caring physicians' reports were used to assess the point and cumulative agreement of parent- and physician-reported AD diagnoses, AD onset age, and trend of agreement at child ages between 1 and 6 years overall and by child and parent demographics and health conditions. A Generalized Estimating Equation model was fitted to identify factors associated with the sensitivity of parent reports.

RESULTS

The point agreement between parent- and physician-reported AD was substantial at the age of 1 (kappa = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.51-0.75) but declined with age and became fair after the age of 3 (kappa < 0.40). The cumulative agreement remained moderate at the age of 6 (kappa = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.43-0.60). Parents had a bias towards delayed reporting of the AD onset age. The AD severity was the only strong determinant for the agreement of AD diagnoses and largely explained the variance of the sensitivity of parent reports.

CONCLUSION

The disagreement between parent- and physician-reported AD increases with child age, likely due to the change of AD severity. Using parent-reported data might miss a substantial portion of mild childhood AD cases.

Association between objective measures and parent-reported measures of child tobacco smoke exposure: A secondary data analysis of four trials

INTRODUCTION

Tobacco smoke exposure (TSE) harms children and adults. Studies of childhood TSE exposure often relies on parental reports, but may benefit from objective measures. The objective of our study was to study the relationship between reported and objective measures of TSE.

METHODS

We analyzed data from four intervention trials, conducted in clinical or community settings, to identify objective measures most closely associated with parent-reported measures and the optimal set of parent-reported measures for predicting objective measures. We also assessed whether there was a learning curve in reported exposure over time, and the importance of replicate biomarker measures.

RESULTS

Correlations between objective and parent-reported measures of child TSE were modest at best, ranging from zero to 0.41. Serum cotinine and urinary cotinine were most strongly associated with parental reports. Parental questions most closely related to biomarkers were number of cigarettes and home smoking rules; together these formed the best set of predictive questions. No trial included all objective measures and all questions, precluding definitive statements about relative advantages. Within-subject repeatability of biomarker measures varied across studies, suggesting that direct pilot data are needed to assess the benefit of replicate measurements.

CONCLUSIONS

Improvements in objective and parent-reported child exposure measurements are needed to accurately monitor child TSE, evaluate efforts to reduce such exposure, and better protect child health.

Comparison of Parental Report of Influenza Vaccination to Documented Records in Children Hospitalized With Acute Respiratory Illness, 2015-2016

BACKGROUND

Parent-reported influenza vaccination history may be valuable clinically and in influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) studies. Few studies have assessed the validity of parental report among hospitalized children.

METHODS

Parents of 2597 hospitalized children 6 months-17 years old were interviewed from November 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016, regarding their child's sociodemographic and influenza vaccination history. Parent-reported 2015-2016 influenza vaccination history was compared with documented vaccination records (considered the gold standard for analysis) obtained from medical records, immunization information systems, and providers. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine potential factors associated with discordance between the 2 sources of vaccination history. Using a test-negative design, we estimated VE using vaccination history obtained through parental report and documented records.

RESULTS

According to parental report, 1718 (66%) children received the 2015-2016 influenza vaccine, and of those, 1432 (83%) had documentation of vaccine receipt. Percent agreement was 87%, with a sensitivity of 96% (95% confidence interval [CI], 95%-97%) and a specificity of 74% (95% CI, 72%-77%). In the multivariable logistic regression, study site and child's age 5-8 years were significant predictors of discordance. Adjusted VE among children who received ≥1 dose of the 2015-2016 influenza vaccine per parental report was 61% (95% CI, 43%-74%), whereas VE using documented records was 55% (95% CI, 33%-69%).

CONCLUSIONS

Parental report of influenza vaccination was sensitive but not as specific compared with documented records. However, VE against influenza-associated hospitalizations using either source of vaccination history did not differ substantially. Parental report is valuable for timely influenza VE studies.

Relationship Between Task-Based and Parent Report-Based Measures of Attention and Executive Function in Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)

A majority of children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) have demonstrated attention and executive function deficits as measured by both parent report measures and performance on tasks requiring sustained levels of attention. However, prior studies have consistently reported a lack of association between parental report-based and task-based performance measures. The current study investigated whether changes in performance over time within-task (i.e., first-half versus second-half) better correspond to parental reports of executive function and temperament in children with FASD. Greater differences in split-half performance during a continuous performance task were found to be associated with higher parent-reported levels of behavioral regulation and inhibitory control. These findings suggest that within-task performance differences may more accurately reflect individual differences in executive function and temperament as measured by parental report and help to further inform the way in which cognitive processes are measured in children with FASD.

Parental report of cognitive and social-emotionality traits in school-age children with autism and Williams syndrome

The majority of the research examining children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Williams Syndrome (WS) focus on the social domain while few have examined cognitive style and emotionality. Accordingly, this current study assessed the day-to-day cognitive and behavioral functioning of school-age children with ASD, WS, and neurotypical development (ND) through caregiver-report inventories to further delineate commonalities and disparities in cognitive and social-emotional traits. Two caregiver-report inventories, the Children's Behavior Questionnaire and the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire were employed to assess the day-to-day functioning of children ages 7-14 years. Participants included 64 caregivers of children, of these, 25 were caregivers of children with high functioning autism (HFA), 14 with WS, and 25 with ND. Multivariate analysis of covariance was computed to assess between-group differences for each subscale within a questionnaire. Covariates included age and full-scale IQ. For cognitive traits, group differences were observed across two categories while seven were present within the social-emotional categories. The majority of the group effects reflected differences in social-emotional traits between ND and both neurodevelopmental groups, while limited distinctions were found between the two clinical groups. This brief report provides additional evidence that HFA and WS may show similarities in cognitive traits but more divergent social-emotional tendencies, despite controlling for age and intellect. This study highlights the large social-emotional differences that supports prior phenotypic descriptions of both neurodevelopmental groups. Future research in these domains are needed to determine focused interventions to address social impairment.

Evaluating Animal-Assisted Interventions: An Empirical Illustration of Differences between Outcome Measures

Simple Summary

This study compares and contrasts several outcome measures to assess the effect of an equine-assisted intervention for a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Before and after the equine-assisted sessions, we conducted a semi-structured interview with the participant’s parents, asked parents to fill out a general screening instrument separately, and observed the participant’s social and communication skills during five equine-assisted sessions. We found differences between the interview and questionnaire with regard to parents’ perceptions of aggression regulation and interacting with peers. Differences with regard to parental reports and observations were found for play development and anxiety. The observations provided a detailed view of the child’s development during the intervention, which yielded an interesting hypothesis in terms of the current dose–response discussion in AAI for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Abstract

Multiple authors have called for strong empirical evaluations to strengthen the foundation of Animal-Assisted Interventions. Carefully choosing the outcome measures of these studies is important, as choosing the wrong outcomes may lead to a failure to detect effects. The current study therefore compares and contrasts the use of several outcome measures, to assess the effect of an equine-assisted intervention for a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder: (1) a semi-structured interview with both parents, specifically designed for children with cognitive disabilities, (2) a general screening instrument filled out by both parents separately, which can be used to assess children’s psycho-social problems, and (3) systematic observations of social and communication skills during the equine-assisted sessions. All instruments indicated an improvement in the participant’s social and communication skills. We found differences between the interview and questionnaires with regard to parents’ perception of aggression regulation and interacting with peers. Differences with regard to parental reports and observations were found for play development and anxiety. The observations provided a detailed view of the child’s development during the intervention, which yielded an interesting hypothesis in terms of the current dose–response discussion in AAI for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Are children with special risk medical conditions receiving influenza vaccination? Validity of parental and provider report, and to a National Immunisation Register

BACKGROUND

To investigate the validity of parent reported influenza vaccination and provider reporting to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) in children with special risk medical conditions (SRMC).

METHODS

Cross-sectional survey with parents of children with a SRMC aged ≥ 6 months and <18 years attending the Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, Australia from September 2015 to February 2016. Children aged <7 years provided data to assess provider-AIR reporting. Influenza vaccination status was ascertained from the child's parent, immunisation provider and the AIR. Concordance was made using the Kappa index and the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were calculated.

RESULTS

389 and 395 parent-provider influenza vaccination records were available for 2014 and 2015 respectively. 78% of parent reported vaccinations were substantiated by a provider with the kappa indicating good (κ = 0.677) to very good agreement (κ = 0.814) for 2014 and 2015 respectively. Discordance was higher in 2014, largely attributable to parents over reporting vaccination. More fathers over reported compared to mothers (Fisher's exact = 0.052). There were 241 provider-AIR influenza vaccination records. Sensitivity of the AIR to reflect a child's influenza immunisation status was low (32.6%).

CONCLUSIONS

Parental report over estimates confirmed influenza vaccination status and is affected by time and relationship to the child. Only a third of influenza vaccinations were reported to the AIR. Timely accurate data is critical to facilitate vaccination and evaluate program coverage.

The Swedish Communicative Development Inventory III: Parent reports on language in preschool children

A revised form of MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory III (SCDI-III) was presented designed for Swedish speaking children aged 2 years 6 months–4 years 0 months with the objective to give a proxy measure of their language competence. The instrument contains a vocabulary checklist with 100 words, mainly predicates, from four areas; Food words, Body words, Mental words and Emotion words. Two sections assess the child’s grammar skills and a final section appraises the child’s metalinguistic awareness. Assessments from 1,134 parents are reported. Scales with adequate psychometric properties were formed for each section. Monthly median values and spread of score distributions are presented for each scale. Girls scored higher than boys on all scales. The revision, sampling procedures, demographic variables and issues of reliability and validity, are discussed. The general structure of the instrument can well be integrated in similar instruments designed for other languages and cultures.

Matched trauma: The role of parents' and children's shared history of childhood domestic violence exposure in parents' report of children's trauma-related symptomatology

Parents' childhood experiences of trauma may influence their reports of their children's behavior, and this may be particularly true when children are also traumatized. The present study proposed and tested a matched trauma hypothesis, positing that compared to parents without a childhood history of witnessing domestic violence (DV), parents with a childhood history of witnessing DV may report their children's trauma-related symptomatology differently following children's exposure to DV. Of 137 included parents (M age = 32 years; 93% mothers), 81 reported witnessing childhood DV (matched group), whereas 56 reported no childhood DV exposure (nonmatched comparison group). All parents reported on their 3- to 6-year-old children's dissociation and posttraumatic stress symptoms following children's DV exposure. An analysis of covariance controlling for parental life stress, dissociation symptoms, and other childhood traumatic events revealed that parents who witnessed childhood DV reported significantly fewer child dissociation symptoms than comparison parents. No difference was found for parents' reports of children's posttraumatic stress symptoms. Exploratory analyses on a subsample of children with teacher reports of child dissociation symptoms (n = 75) revealed that the strength of the association between parent and teacher reports of dissociation symptoms was moderated by matched versus nonmatched group membership. Findings suggest the importance of considering a parent's history of trauma when using parents as informants for children's trauma symptoms.

Evaluation of regression in autism spectrum disorder based on parental reports

BACKGROUND

Research indicates that some children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience a developmental regression.

AIMS

The study examined the percentage of children with autism, pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), ASD, and Asperger syndrome (AS) who were considered to be delayed (D), regressed (R), or delayed and later regressed (DR) and examined any relationship with autism severity, time of onset, factors associated with onset, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, race, age, and gender.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study reviewed developmental and medical information based on parental reports of 135 children with a diagnosis of autism, PDD, ASD, or AS.

RESULTS

The number of children in the D group was 53 (39.2%) with 19 (14.1%) in the DR group and 63 (46.7%) in the R group. Thus, 82 children (60.7%) were reported to have R. In regard to onset of symptoms, there was a significant difference between the D and R groups as well as between the DR and R groups. The analyses showed that there was no significant relationship between age, gender, race, severity, or GI symptoms and membership in any group; D, DR, or R. The majority of parents reported that the regression was preceded by or was associated with vaccinations (57.3%) or another medically related event (11.0%).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings are consistent with previous research and reinforce our understanding of regression in those children with an ASD diagnosis.