Comparisons Between Mothers' and Teachers' Evaluations of Developmental Status

The relationship between mothers' and teachers' estimates ofthe developmental level of mentally retarded children was examined.Ratings were obtained from mothers and teachers to determinethe extent of agreement in the 5 skill areas assessed by theDevelopmental Profile. Estimates also were compared to the child'sdevelopmental level as measured by an individual intelligencetest. Correlations between mothers' and teachers' estimateson each scale of the Developmental Profile ranged from .63 to.81. Significant differences between mothers' and teachers'ratings on the Developmental Profile were found on the PhysicalScale, the Self-Help Scale, and the Communication Scale. Correlationsbetween the Stanford-Binet IQ and the Developmental ProfileIQE were .51 and .63 for mothers and teachers, respectively,and the difference between these correlations was nonsignificant.Mothers' ratings on the Developmental Profile (IQE) were within10 points of the Stanford-Binet IQ for 57 percent of the sample,while the teachers' ratings were within 10 points of the Stanford-Binetfor 83 percent of the children. The utility of the DevelopmentalProfile in evaluating the developmentaly disabled child is discussed.