Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 8, 2026
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
The Relationship between Behavior Ratings and Concurrent and Subsequent Mental and Motor Performance in Toddlers Born
Daniel Messinger1, Brittany Lambert, Charles R Bauer
1University of Miami.
Insights
Examiner behavior ratings in toddlers are stable and predict later mental and motor performance. These ratings can help identify at-risk children needing early intervention.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatric Neurodevelopment
- Child Behavior Assessment
Background:
- Assessing child developmental outcomes solely on functioning scores may miss subtle behavioral issues, particularly in high-risk children.
- Early identification of developmental risks is crucial for timely intervention.
- Examiner behavior ratings offer a potential complementary measure in developmental assessments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the predictors and stability of examiner behavior ratings in extremely low birth weight toddlers.
- To investigate the association between behavior ratings and concurrent/subsequent mental and motor performance.
- To determine if behavior ratings can enhance prediction of developmental outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal evaluation of toddlers born at extremely low birth weight at 18 and 30 months corrected age.
- Utilized the Behavior Rating Scale (BRS) and the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Second Edition (Bayley-II).
- Assessed BRS total and factor scores, and Mental and Psychomotor Scale scores.
Main Results:
- BRS scores demonstrated moderate stability between 18 and 30 months.
- BRS scores significantly predicted 30-month Mental and Psychomotor Scale scores.
- Behavior ratings provided predictive value beyond prior developmental functioning scores.
Conclusions:
- Early examiner behavior ratings are associated with child mental and motor performance.
- Behavior ratings are valuable for identifying toddlers at developmental risk.
- Behavior ratings can aid in targeting early intervention services for at-risk toddlers.
Abstract:
When predicting child developmental outcomes, reliance on children's scores on measures of developmental functioning alone might mask more subtle behavioral difficulties especially in children with developmental risk factors. The current study examined predictors and stability of examiner behavior ratings and their association with concurrent and subsequent mental and motor performance in toddlers born at extremely low birth weight. Toddlers were evaluated using the Behavior Rating scale (BRS) and the mental and psychomotor indexes of the Bayley-II at 18 and 30 months corrected age. BRS total and factor scores showed moderate stability between 18 and 30 months. These scores also predicted 30-month Mental Scale and Psychomotor Scale scores above and beyond prior mental and motor performance. Our findings suggest that early behavior ratings are associated with child mental and motor performance; therefore, behavior ratings might be useful in identifying toddlers at developmental risk and who might benefit from early intervention.
