Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Sep;116(5):331-43.
doi: 10.1352/1944-7558-116.5.331.

Convergent validity of the Mullen Scales of Early Learning and the differential ability scales in children with autism spectrum disorders

Somer L Bishop  1 , Whitney Guthrie, Mia Coffing, Catherine Lord
Affiliations

Convergent validity of the Mullen Scales of Early Learning and the differential ability scales in children with autism spectrum disorders

Somer L Bishop et al. Am J Intellect Dev Disabil. 2011 Sep.

Abstract

Despite widespread use of the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL; E. M. Mullen, 1995 ) as a cognitive test for children with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities, the instrument has not been independently validated for use in these populations. Convergent validity of the MSEL and the Differential Ability Scales (DAS; C. D. Elliott, 1990 , 2007 ) was examined in 53 children with autism spectrum disorder and 19 children with nonspectrum diagnoses. Results showed good convergent validity with respect to nonverbal IQ (NVIQ), verbal IQ (VIQ), and NVIQ-VIQ profiles. These findings provide preliminary support for the practice of using MSEL age-equivalents to generate NVIQ and VIQ scores. Establishing convergent validity of cognitive tests is needed before IQs derived from different tests can be conceptualized as a uniform construct.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
MSEL and DAS NVIQ score correlation. The line is provided as a reference line and does not represent a regression line. MSEL = Mullen Scales of Early Learning (Mullen, 1995); DAS = Differential Ability Scales (Elliott, 1990); NVIQ = nonverbal IQ.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
MSEL and DAS VIQ score correlation. The line is provided as a reference line and does not represent a regression line. MSEL = Mullen Scales of Early Learning (Mullen, 1995); DAS = Differential Ability Scales (Elliott, 1990); VIQ = verbal IQ.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
NVIQ cognitive range classifications on the MSEL and the DAS. NVIQ = nonverbal IQ; MSEL = Mullen Scales of Early Learning (Mullen, 1995); DAS = Differential Ability Scales (Elliott, 1990).
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
VIQ cognitive range classifications on the MSEL and the DAS. VIQ = verbal IQ; MSEL = Mullen Scales of Early Learning (Mullen, 1995); DAS = Differential Ability Scales (Elliott, 1990).
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
NVIQ–VIQ profile differences between the MSEL and the DAS. NVIQ = non-verbal IQ VIQ = NVIQ = verbal IQ; MSEL = Mullen Scales of Early Learning (Mullen, 1995); DAS = Differential Ability Scales (Elliott, 1990).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.). Washington, DC: Author.
    1. Bayley N (2005). Bayley Scales of Infant Development. San Antonio, TX: Harcourt Assessment.
    1. Billstedt E, & Gillberg C (2005). Autism after adolescence: Population-based 13-to 22-year follow-up study of 120 individuals with autism diagnosed in childhood. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 35, 351–360. - PubMed
    1. Bishop SL, Richler J, & Lord C (2006). Association between restricted and repetitive behaviors and nonverbal IQ in children with autism spectrum disorders. Child Neuropsychology, 4, 247–267. doi: 10.1080/09297040600630288 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Borden M, & Ollendick T (1994). An examination of the validity of social subtypes in autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 24, 23–37. - PubMed

Publication types