Comparison of Mental Age Estimates Made by Pediatricians and Mothers of Preschool Children

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Abstract
The mental age (MA) estimates given by pediatricians and mothers of preschool children referred to a comprehensive developmental evaluation center were compared to the mental ages-obtained on standardized IQ tests. The results indicate that the estimates made by pediatricians were significantly more accurate than the estimates made by mothers. The mean MA estimate provided by mothers was 5 months higher than the mean MA obtained on standardized tests but lower than the child's chronological age. Mothers' estimates of expressive language were more accurate estimates of the MA scores obtained on the Bayley and Stanford-Binet than were estimates of other areas of development. Pediatricians' estimates of MA were not significantly different from the MA obtained on the IQ tests. The results contradict previous reports that physicians were inaccurate in estimates of ability levels for children with developmental delays and have applied implications for the early identification of handicapped preschool children.