The Taiwanese early intervention/early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) system is modeled after the federal legislation and practices of the U.S., incorporating specific cultural beliefs in Taiwan. Nonetheless, in EI/ECSE assessments, several challenges are presented, including: (a) limited resources and funding, (b) lack of reliable and valid instruments, (c) lack of progress monitoring for at-risk children, (d) no (or limited) active role for caregivers as informants in the assessment administration process, and (e) lack of communication between parents and professionals. The Ages and Stages Questionnaires: Inventory (ASQ: Inventory) is a dual-purpose tool that can be completed by early childhood practitioners and parents for developmental screening and progress monitoring. This instrument is considered a potential solution for the challenges in Taiwanese EI/ECSE assessments. Thus, the ASQ: Inventory was translated into Traditional Chinese following rigorous procedures. Its technical adequacy, cultural appropriateness, and utility were investigated in this study. Results indicated that the Traditional Chinese ASQ: Inventory was an instrument with solid internal consistency and construct validity and that it was well accepted by parent and professional participants. The instrument was also able to document progress in children's skills measured in chronological age intervals. Additionally, items in each domain were dispersed across a wide range of difficulty levels. When comparing between the two language versions using item response theory modeling, most items demonstrated invariant response patterns between the English and Traditional Chinese ASQ: Inventory. At the sample level, Taiwanese children scored significantly higher than U.S. children in problem-solving and personal-social, whereas U.S. children scored significantly higher in fine motor at the ages of 36, 42, and 48 months. The findings of this initial investigation suggested that the Traditional Chinese ASQ: Inventory should continue to be studied with the Taiwanese population. This instrument may help accelerate the referral and identification process in EI/ECSE and promote the concept of caregiver-completed assessments. By completing the questionnaire, caregivers may have increased awareness of child development and will be able to closely oversee a child's progress and focus on strengths in his/her learning profile. Future studies should focus on studying the technical adequacy of this instrument and exploring the development of a computerized ASQ: Inventory system.

The Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) (Squires & Bricker, 2009) is used by pediatricians, educators, and parents to screen for developmental delays and identify children at risk for delay. The purpose of the ASQ: Social Emotional- Second Edition (ASQ:SE-2) is to screen for a child’s self-regulation, compliance, communication, adaptive behaviors, autonomy, affect, and interaction with people. A recent revision of the ASQ:SE-2 included items that were intended to identify children at risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The present study provides an examination of the validity of the ASQ:SE-2 in identifying children at risk for ASD. In the present study, total scores on a subset of items from the ASQ:SE-2 that specifically addressed ASD were compared with results from a team clinical diagnosis of ASD for 60 children, between 18-48 months of age. When the ASD-related items were considered alone, the scores of children with ASD and those without ASD were significantly different, and there were no differences in ASQ:SE-2 total scores for children with and without ASD. These findings indicate that parents of children with ASD reported significantly more concerns on ASD-related items on the ASQ:SE-2 than parents of children without ASD. Moreover, the results suggest that an increasing ASD total item score on the broadband instrument resulted in an increased likelihood of a child receiving an ASD diagnosis.

The psychometric properties of a parent-completed developmental questionnaire for children at 6 years of age were investigated. Currently, few developmental screening instruments for 6-year-old children have been validated, and most available instruments are designed to be completed by teachers or professionals, who may not witness an optimal sample of child behavior. Thus a screening tool with robust psychometric properties is needed that can be completed by parents or caregivers who see the child across settings and time. A total of 169 children participated in this research. Data collection included online and paper completion during well child visits, in clinics, at preschool programs, and in parents' homes. A random subsample was asked to participate in reliability and convergent validity studies. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to measure internal consistency reliability. Results indicated a Cronbach alpha of agreement with the Child Development Inventory was used. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis with categorical data confirmed the 6-Year Ages and Stages Questionnaire domains, e.g., communication, personal social, fine motor, gross motor, and problem solving. Limitations of the current study and directions for future research are discussed. / 10000-01-01

xix, 198 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / Due to the lack of a screening and early identification system, preschool children who live in rural areas in Northeast Thailand have no opportunity to receive specialized educational services. Most children are identified as having disabilities at school age or older. In this study, the 24-, 30-, and 36-month intervals of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ), a parent-completed screening system, were translated and evaluated for reliability and use in Northeast Thai early childcare settings. The study purpose was to investigate the reliability and utility of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires: Thai (ASQ: Thai). Reliability studies included an investigation of internal consistency, test-retest reliability, interobserver reliability, and comparison of differences between U.S. and Thai scores. Utility studies included surveys of satisfaction of parents/caregivers and early childcare staff as well as brief interviews with parents/caregivers and early childcare staff. Subjects included 267 children who were 2-3 years old; 267 parents/caregivers; 49 early childcare staff; and 5 early childcare professor experts. The subjects were recruited through the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, the Faculty of Education, Mahasarakham University. Results addressing the reliability and use of ASQ: Thai were promising. Internal consistency (ρ = .58 -.89) results were adequate as well as test-retest agreement (ρ > .90). A comparison between the ASQ: Thai sample data and the U.S. normative sample found that there were some differences in range, mean, median, interquartile range, and cutoff scores. The back translation of the ASQ: Thai appeared to be adequate in comparison to the original version, as well as culturally appropriate. Early childcare staff and parents/caregivers felt that the ASQ: Thai was easy to use and understand and was culturally appropriate, and they gained knowledge about child development. Early childcare staff and parents/caregivers suggested that the ASQ: Thai should be used in early childcare settings with children when they enter the program. Future research on the ASQ: Thai is needed. Increased study of cultural, language, and disability issues are areas for further study. / Committee in charge: Jane Squires, Chairperson, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Deanne Umuh, Member, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Erin Barton, Member, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Kathie Carpenter, Outside Member, International Studies