INDIVIDUAL AND TEAM CONSENSUS RATINGS OF CHILD FUNCTIONING

The authors examined agreement between interdisciplinary teams of prof essionals in rating the functional abilities of children with disabili ties. 129 children were rated on the ABILITIES index by 72 professiona ls working in nine developmental evaluation centers. Independent indiv idual ratings were made first, followed by a consensus rating. Team me mbers had a high degree of agreement on independent ratings of abiliti es and limitations, with nearly 90 per cent of the ratings within one point of each other. More disagreement was associated with rating area s of behavior and communication, team experience and increased severit y of disability. The team's consensus ratings were more likely to defe r to the ratings of the expert in particular areas. Implications for t eam assessment and team functioning are discussed.