Monitoring the developmental examination schedule in an inner city health district

1365-2214

Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005

Medicine

Psychology

Summary Returns of scheduled school entry examinations, from 838 primary school children in West Lambeth Health Authority, were analysed to assess the possible association of a child's home language background, age, sex, behaviour, and examiner with the results of the developmental examination. To allow for variation in social character-istics between participating schools, a ward index of deprivation based on the 1981 census was assigned to all the children in the schools of each ward. Variables representing development were most consist-ently associated with the child's behaviour during the examination and with the examiner. A child's home language background was associ-ated only with the auditory memory test. The child's ability to concen-trate during the test situation was closely related to his performance. With respect to the examiners, it is suggested that community health services need to consider schemes of ongoing in-service training and careful calibration of the tests.

Electronic Resource