MINNESOTA CHILD-DEVELOPMENT INVENTORY - A NORMATIVE STUDY

New norms for the Minnesota Child Development Inventory (MCDI) are pre sented. The present study focussed on children ranging in age from 1 t o 4 years, considered by many to be the most crucial period for conduc ting developmental screening. The final sample (N = 1,322) was three t imes larger than the original MCDI sample for the same ages (1 - 4 yrs ), and represented a broader range of demographics. No relationship wa s found between medical history and SES, and MCDI scores. As an altern ative to the percentage cut-off method of determining developmental st atus, the larger sample allowed the calculation of means and standard deviations for each age. T-scores may be derived from this information . The new normative sample was found to fit the theoretical normal cur ve remarkably well. Illustrative case reviews consistently demonstrate d that the use of the SD versus percentage cut-off method yielded diff erent developmental profiles. The new norms represent a substantially larger, more demographically diverse sample, from which a more standar dized psychometric description of performance may improve use of the M CDI in developmental assessment.