Diagnostic validity of the Merrill Palmer-R Development Scale used in the evaluation of access to Child Development Centers and Early Care

• Main Authors: Francisco ALCANTUD-MARÍN, Javier PÉREZ-BOU, Yurena ALONSO-ESTEBAN
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Universidad de Salamanca 2019-04-01
• Series: Siglo Cero
• Subjects: atención temprana; escalas de desarrollo, diagnóstico y cribado; merrill palmer-r
• Online Access: https://revistas.usal.es/index.php/0210-1696/article/view/20425
• ISSN: 0210-1696; 2530-0350

The Merrill Palmer-R Development Scale is commonly used in Child Development and Early Care Centers. It is usually used, like other scales, in the initial evaluation process at the time of discharge in the center and / or throughout the entire intervention. The results obtained in the application of the scale are presented in the University Center of Diagnostic and Early Care of the University of Valencia, in the period between 2011 and 2016. In total, 223 cases of children under 42 months have been analyzed. Most of them, or without diagnosis or with a provisional diagnosis at the time of discharge. The objective of this article is to determine the diagnostic value of the Merrill Palmer-R scale and if the use of it, at the time of discharge in the center, facilitates the development of intervention programs and the allocation of resources necessary for its development. For this, the classification of the cases according to the scores in the MP-R has been studied by means of Cluster K-Means analysis, obtaining four groups. This classification has been validated by discriminant analysis. The goodness of statistical classification reaches 93.7%. The four groups correspond to four diagnostic profiles according to the severity of the case and the affected areas of development. The groups obtained have been contrasted with the real diagnosis of each case. It is concluded that the scale is useful in the initial evaluation process at the center and it is advised, following the recommendations of the APA, to add to the final diagnosis at the time of leaving the center, a level of severity to adjust the future needs of resources.