Caregiver Descriptions of the Developmental Skills of Infants and Toddlers Entering Early Intervention Services

The present study was conducted to describe the developmental skills of a national sample of infants and toddlers at entry into early intervention services. Caregivers were asked about their child's skills during a telephone interview. Summary values were derived from descriptions of motor, communication, independence, and cognitive skills. More children were reported with less than age-expected communication skills compared to other domains. Skill acquisition was related to select child and family characteristics. Among those entering early intervention between the ages of 12 and 32 months, 17.5% were reported to have near age-level skill in all domains and 50.3% were reported not to be near age level in any domain.