Autism and Developmental Disorders
2024. Vol. 22, no. 3, 20–29
doi:10.17759/autdd.2024220303
ISSN: 1994-1617 / 2413-4317 (online)
The Use of MPR Scales of Development in the Assessment of Children at Risk of ASD
Abstract
Objectives. Early diagnosis of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) allows parents to assess the validity of their concerns, develop individual support programs, and begin working with the child as early as possible, which will lead to greater success in educational support. To achieve these goals, a comprehensive assessment is needed, including the use of standardized tools for assessing the level of current development and identifying special characteristics of children’s functioning. In order to determine the level of development, the possibilities of using the Merril-Palmer Revised (MPR) Development Scales in assessment of children with ASD were studied.
Methods. The pilot study involved eight children (5 toddlers and 3 preschoolers; 6 males, 2 females; Mage=2.8, SD=0.8). Children were divided into “risk of ASD” and “autism” diagnostic groups according to their ADOS-2 results. All participants were also tested using the MPR. Statistical analysis was conducted in IBM SPSS Statistics 23, using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis with Pearson and Spearman criteria.
Results. According to the data obtained, the development index of all children is below the age norm (M=52, SD=26), ranging from “significant developmental delay” to “below average developmental level” and does not depend on the severity of autistic symptoms. It was found that scores in the cognitive sphere correlate positively with scores obtained in fine motor skills (r=0,93, p=0,01); visual-motor coordination (r=0,95, p=0,01); speech comprehension (r=0,87, p=0,01). The results on the scale assessing protest behavior during the examination cor relate negatively with the level of development of the socio-emotional sphere (r=–0,75, p=0,05) and self-care skills (r=–0,79, p=0,05).
Conclusions. Experience using the MPR Scales in evaluation of toddlers and preschoolers with ASD has shown that the tool is informative and allows a comprehensive assessment of developmental indicators in children with this nosology, which suggests its use in developing effective interventions. The limitation of the study is the small sample size, and the results obtained are planned to be verified with a larger number of participants.
General Information
Keywords: autism; autism spectrum disorders (ASD); The Merrill-Palmer-Revised Scales of Development (MPR); early childhood; preschool children; standardized tests; skills assessment; cognitive development
Journal rubric: Diagnostic Tools
Article type: scientific article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/autdd.2024220303
Funding. The study was conducted with the support of ANO BO “ZHURAVLIK” and the “Absolut-Help” Foundation within the project “Systemic model of early intervention for children with autism and their family”
Received: 12.08.2024
Accepted:
For citation: Ilyunceva A.A., Movchan A.A., Uskova O.A. The Use of MPR Scales of Development in the Assessment of Children at Risk of ASD. Autizm i narusheniya razvitiya = Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2024. Vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 20–29. DOI: 10.17759/autdd.2024220303. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)
References
- Alonso A.V. Otsenka, diagnostika i klinicheskoe vmeshatel’stvo pri rasstroistvakh auticheskogo spektra: issledovaniya v detskoi neiropsikhologii i psikhopedagogike [Assessment, Diagnosis and Clinical Intervention in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Research in Children’s Neuropsychology and Psychological Pedagogy]. In Sovremennye napravleniya psikhologo-pedagogicheskogo soprovozhdeniya detstva: Materialy VI Mezhdunarodnoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii [Current directions in psychological and educational support in childhood: Proceedings of the 6th international research-to-practice conference]. Novosibirsk: Publ. Novosibirsk State Pedagogical University, 2019. Pp. 130—136. ISBN 978-5-00104-399-7.
- Davydova E.YU., Tyushkevich S.A., Davydov D.V. et al. Study on the Effectiveness of the Denver Model of Early Care for Children with Autism and at Risk of ASD. Systematic Review. Sovremennaya zarubezhnaya psihologiya = Journal of Modern Foreign Psychology, 2023, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 77—90. DOI: 10.17759/jmfp.2023120407
- Egorova L.V., Danilova E.B. Shkala Leiter-3 kak instrument obsledovaniya detei s narusheniyami emotsional’no-volevoi sfery [Leiter-3 Scale as Instrument for Assessment of Children with Emotional-Volitional Disorders]. Psikhiatriya = Psychiatry (Moscow), 2023, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 64—71. DOI:10.30629/2618-6667-2023-21-2-64-71
- Pereverzeva D.S., Tyushkevich S.A., Braginec E.I. Opyt adaptacii instrumenta ocenki akademicheskih dostizhenij s uchetom osobennostej detej s rasstrojstvami autisticheskogo spektra [The Adaptation of Academic Skills Assessment Tool for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders]. Autizm i narusheniya razvitiya = Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2021, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 15—23. DOI:10.17759/autdd.2021190402
- Roid G., Sampers J. Shkaly razvitiya Merrill-Palmer-Revised: Rukovodstvo [Merrill-Palmer-Revised scales of development: Guide] / Transl. from Engl. Moscow: Publ. Giunti Psychometrics, 2022. 268 p.
- Romanova R.S., Talanceva O.I. Intellectual Development in Autism Spactrum Disorder. Sovremennaya zarubezhnaya psihologiya = Journal f Modern Foreign Psychology, 2024, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 69—77. DOI:10.17759/jmfp.2024130106
- Solov’eva M.V., Davydov D.V., Movchan A.A., CHzhan Dzh. The Problem of Evaluating the Effectiveness of Physical Development Programs for Children with ASD. An Example of the Implementation of the Intensive Motor Training Program “Out Fitness”. Autizm i narusheniya razvitiya = Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2023, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 15— 25. DOI: 10.17759/autdd.2023210402
- Starikova O.V., Dvoryaninova V.V., Balandina O.V. Application of the Early Care Program Based on the Early Start Denver Model for Children with ASD. Autizm i narusheniya razvitiya = Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2022, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 29—36. DOI:10.17759/autdd.2022200104
- Uskova O.A., Movchan A.A., Ilyuntseva A.A. Shkaly razvitiya Merrill-Palmer-Revised (MPR): rezul’taty diagnostiki urovnya razvitiya detei rannego vozrasta s riskom RAS: Nabor dannykh [Merrill-Palmer-Revised scales of development: results of diagnosing development level in early age children at risk of ASD: Dataset] // RusPsyData: Repozitorii psikhologicheskikh issledovanii i instrumentov [RusPsyData: Psychological research and tools repository]. Moscow, 2024. DOI:10.48612/MSUPE/8gm4-uhdk-9agf
- Akshoomoff N. Use of the Mullen Scales of Early Learning for the assessment of young children with autism spectrum disorders. Child Neuropsychology, 2006, vol. 12, no. 4-5, pp. 269—277. DOI:10.1080/09297040500473714
- Bal V.H., Fok M., Lord C. et al. Predictors of longer-term development of expressive language in two independent longitudinal cohorts of language‐delayed preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2020, vol. 61, no. 7, pp. 826—835. DOI:10.1111/jcpp.13117
- Chandler S., Howlin P., Simonoff E. et al. Emotional and behavioural problems in young children with autism spectrum disorder. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 2016, vol. 58, no. 2, pp. 202—208. DOI:10.1111/dmcn.12830
- Dempsey E.E., Smith I.M., Flanagan H.E. et al. Psychometric properties of the Merrill-Palmer-Revised scales of development in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder. Assessment, 2020, vol. 27, no. 8, pp. 1796—1809. DOI:10.1177/1073191118818754
- Klinger L.G., O’Kelley S.E., Mussey J.L. Assessment of intellectual functioning in autism spectrum disorders. In Goldstein S., Ozonoff S. (eds.) Assessment of autism spectrum disorders. 2nd ed. New York: Publ. Guilford Press, 2009. Pp. 209— 252. ISBN 1-4625-3310-8.
- Lord C., Risi S., Lambrecht L. et al. The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule—Generic: A standard measure of social and communication deficits associated with the spectrum of autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2000, vol. 30, pp. 205—223. DOI:10.1023/A:1005592401947
- Peters M.E. Determining the clinical utility of the Merrill-Palmer-Revised Scales of Development in a sample of children with autistic disorder: Doctor of Psychology dissertation / George Fox University. Newburg, 2013. 102 p.
- Maenner M.J., Warren Z., Williams A.R. et al. Prevalence and Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 8 Years — Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2020. MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 2023. Vol. 72, no. 2, pp. 1—14. DOI:10.15585/mmwr.ss7202a1
- Sinai-Gavrilov Y., Gev T., Mor-Snir I. et al. Integrating the Early Start Denver Model into Israeli community autism spectrum disorder preschools: Effectiveness and treatment response predictors. Autism, 2020, vol. 24, no. 8, pp. 2081— 2093. DOI:10.1177/1362361320934221
- Talantseva O.I., Romanova R.S., Shurdova E.M. et al. The global prevalence of autism spectrum disorder: A three-level meta-analysis. Frontiers in psychiatry, 2023, vol. 14, article no. 1071181. 11 p. DOI:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1071181
- Whitehouse A.J.O., Varcin K.J., Pillar S. et al. Effect of preemptive intervention on developmental outcomes among infants showing early signs of autism: A randomized clinical trial of outcomes to diagnosis. JAMA Pediatrics, 2021, vol. 175, no. 11, article no. e213298. 11 p. DOI:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2021.3298
- Zwaigenbaum L., Duku E., Szatmari P. et al. Developmental functioning and symptom severity influence age of diagnosis in Canadian preschool children with autism. Paediatrics & Child Health, 2019, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. e57—e65. DOI:10.1093/pch/pxy076
Information About the Authors
Metrics
Views
Total: 179
Previous month: 126
Current month: 49
Downloads
Total: 52
Previous month: 42
Current month: 9