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Predictors of developmental delay at 18 months and later school achievement problems
1University of Uppsala, Department of Neuroscience, Psychiatry, Sweden. karin.sonnander@ullpsyk.uu.se
Insights
Parental assessment and maternal education best predict early developmental delay. Parental assessment score is a strong predictor of later school achievement problems, especially when socioeconomic status is considered.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Educational Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- Early identification of developmental delays and learning challenges is crucial for timely intervention.
- Predictors of long-term developmental outcomes and academic achievement require further investigation.
- Understanding the influence of socioeconomic status (SES) and maternal education is vital.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the predictive power of parental assessment scores, perinatal optimality, sex, SES, and maternal education.
- To assess these predictors for developmental delay at 18 months.
- To examine their association with intellectual disability and school achievement problems at 8 and 14 years.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study involving 101 children, selected from an initial population of 2783.
- Parental screening at 18 months used to identify low scorers and controls.
- Logistic regression analysis employed to determine predictor significance for developmental outcomes.
Main Results:
- Parental assessment score and maternal education were significant predictors of 18-month developmental delay.
- Parental assessment score and maternal education predicted school achievement problems at 8 years.
- At 14 years, SES and parental assessment score predicted school achievement problems; parental assessment score showed the strongest association.
Conclusions:
- Parental assessment and maternal education are key early indicators of developmental delay.
- Parental assessment score is a robust predictor of long-term academic achievement, with SES also playing a role.
- Findings highlight the importance of early parental evaluations and maternal education in predicting child development and academic success.
Abstract:
The aim of the study was to examine the predictive value of the variables of parental assessment score, pre-, peri-, and postpartum optimality, sex, socioeconomic status (SES), and maternal education with respect to developmental delay at 18 months, and intellectual disability and school achievement problems at 8 and 14 years. The sample studied comprised 101 children (53 low scorers and 48 controls) originally from a total population of 2783 children assessed by their parents at 18 months using a screening instrument. Data were analysed by logistic regression. The results yielded moderate but statistically significant correlations between predictor and outcome variables. Optimality score and maternal education were the best predictors of developmental delay at 18 months. At 8 years, parental assessment score and maternal education constituted the best predictors of school achievement problems. At 14 years, SES together with parental assessment score were included in the model, when school achievement problems were predicted. Parental assessment score showed the strongest association with school achievement problems at both 8 and 14 years, when children with intellectual disability were included in the analysis. The exclusion of children with intellectual disability from the analyses yielded a stronger association between maternal education (at 8 years) and SES (at 14 years) and school achievement problems. The overall classification accuracy of the models varied between 67% and 88%. Specificity varied from 65% at 18 months to 95% at 14 years. Sensitivity varied from 70% at 18 months and 55% (all cases) and 42% (children with intellectual disability excluded) at 14 years.