Overview The Mullen Scales of Early Learning: AGS Edition (Mullen, 1995) is an individually administered, standardized measure of cognitive functioning designed to be used with children from birth through 68 months. This update is a revised version of the original Mullen Scales of Early Learning, combining the Infant MSEL with the Preschool MSEL. It consists of a Gross- Motor Scale and four Cognitive Scales: Visual Reception, Fine-Motor, Receptive Language, and Expressive Language. The Gross-Motor Scale is for use with children ages birth through 33 months, whereas the Cognitive Scales are used with children ages birth to 68 months. T-scores (mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10) are given for individual scales, and an optional Early Learning Composite serves as an overall estimate of cognitive functioning. The Mullen Scales may be used for eligibility decisions as well as program planning. Summary Name of Tool/Author Age Range* Method of Administration/Format Approximate Time to Administer Subscales Mullen Scales of Early Learning: AGS Edition Birth 6 yrs., 6 mos. Individually administered, norm-referenced measure of cognitive development; clinician- administered interactive assessment 15 60 min. Gross-Motor, Visual Reception, Fine-Motor, Receptive Language, Expressive Language, Early Learning Composite Mullen (1995) *In years except where noted. Yields t-scores, percentile rank, descriptive category, age equivalents Availability: Pearson Assessments, http://bit.ly/1n5zkc7
Research Author (Year) Age Range (in years) Sample Size Topic Addressed Outcome Swineford, Guthrie, & Thurm (2015) 3.38 years (SD=1.14) 399 Convergent and divergent The purpose of this study was to report convergent, and divergent of the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) in children with ASD. The sample was divided into a group of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and a group without ASD. Results examining general construct showed that each of the MSEL domain scores loaded onto a single, latent factor in the entire sample and the factor form held across the ASD and non-spectrum groups. This suggests that the same overall development is measured in both children with ASD and children without ASD. Results showed good convergent for language and adaptive behavior when all children were considered together. But when the two groups were separated, convergent for language and adaptive behavior was suspect in the children with ASD. Divergent was demonstrated by the loading of MSEL domain scores almost exclusively on the Developmental Functioning factor when examined in the entire sample and by group. The visual reception and finemotor domain scores did not significantly load onto the Autism Symptoms, Communication, or Emotional/Behavior Problems factors in either group, suggesting that measurement of these skills is independent of these latent constructs. The authors thought that this suggested that the MSEL measures additional aspects of communication not related to the developmental factor rather than a direct lack of divergence. Together, these results demonstrate evidence for the construct, convergent, and divergent of the MSEL using powerful data-analytic techniques.
Farmer, Golden, & Thurm (2015) 2 10 years 118 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), non-asd developm ental delays, and typically developin g children Concurrent Compared DAS-II with Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL). Scores on the DAS-II and MSEL were highly correlated, suggesting that they measure a similar construct. However, curve estimation revealed large mean differences in scores that varied as a function of the child's cognitive ability level. The authors concluded that interchanging MSEL and DAS-II scores in research studies without regard to the discrepancy in scores may produce misleading results in both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies of children with and without ASD, and, thus, this practice should be implemented with caution. Nordahl- Hansen, Kaale, & Ulvund (2014) 2 4 55 children diagnosed with ASD Concurrent The study addressed the concurrent of different language for measuring expressive and receptive language. Parents and preschool teachers separately filled out the Communicative Development Inventory (CDI), a widely used report-based assessment of language. The children were also tested with the two standardized direct language tests: Reynell Developmental Language Scales (RDLS) and Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL). The results suggested very high agreement between the measures, and this was found regardless of whether parents or preschool teachers filled out the CDI. This study showed that there are several valid measures available for measuring expressive and receptive language.
Ben-Sasson, Habib & Tirosh (2014) Longitudi nal 12 and 24 months 583 Validity The study examined the feasibility and of implementing an ASD screening for 12-month-olds. Babies were tested at their well-baby checkup. All parents completed the First Year Inventory Lite (FYI-L). Ten infants who failed the FYI-L and a subset of 12 infants who passed the identified FYI-L were evaluated using the Autism Observation Scale for Infants (AOSI) and the Mullen Scales of Early Learning. Information regarding socialcommunication development 24 months of age was extracted from medical records. Mean response rate across clinics was 26.63%. Infants at risk compared to controls showed significantly higher scores on the AOSI, lower composite scores on the MSEL, and a higher rate of referral for a developmental evaluation. At 24 months, 95% of infants who were negatively screened had no social-communication problems on their medical records; 60% of those who were screened positive had documented problems on medical records. Conclusion: ASD screening using the FYI-L at 12 months in a healthcare setting identifies infants with poor social-communication development, yet parents had low compliance with screening. Burns, King, & Spencer (2013) 2 4 47 patients diagnosed with neurodevelop mental disorders were compared to 47 age-, gender-, and racially matched typically developing children taken from the normative sample Criterion and sensitivity *This study examined the frequency of impairment across domains of the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL). In the neurodevelopmental group, the sample was composed of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD; n = 19), cerebral palsy (CP; n = 14), and epilepsy (EPI; n = 14). Each clinical group demonstrated statistically significant delays across domains relative to the respective matched control group (p <.001). Children failed to demonstrate a signature profile for a diagnosis of ASD, CP, or EPI. The clinical sensitivity of the MSEL and the need for obtaining specific intervention services for children diagnosed with these conditions was presented. Finally, these results are discussed within the context of the clinical sensitivity of the MSEL in working with these clinical populations.
Bishop, Guthrie, Coffing, & Lord (2011) 2 5 72 Convergent Discriminant Convergent : Results showed good convergent. Nonverbal IQ: NVIQ scores on the MSEL and DAS were statistically similar (r =.74, p <.01) Verbal IQ: VIQ scores on the MSEL and DAS were statistically similar (r =.83, p <.01). *Adapted from abstract Discriminant Validity: Results suggest that the MSEL NVIQ construct may need further research. MSEL NVIQ was significantly correlated to both DAS NVIQ (.74) and DAS VIQ (.76). MSEL VIQ was significantly correlated to both DAS NVIQ (.48) and DAS VIQ (.82). References Ben-Sasson, A., Habib, S., & Tirosh, E. (2014). Feasibility and of early screening for identifying infants with poor social-communication development in a well-baby clinic system. Journal Of Pediatric Nursing, 29(3), 238 247. doi: 10.1016/j.pedn.2013.11.001 Bishop, S.L., Guthrie, W., Coffing, M., & Lord, C. (2011). Convergent of the Mullen Scales of Early Learning and the Differential Ability Scales in children with autism spectrum disorders. American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities 116(5), 331 343. Burns, T. G., King, T. Z., & Spencer, K. S. (2013). Mullen Scales of Early Learning: The utility in assessing children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy, and epilepsy. Applied Neuropsychology: Child, 2(1), 33 42. doi: 10.1080/21622965.2012.682852 Farmer, C., Golden, C., & Thurm, A. (2015). Concurrent of the Differential Ability Scales, second edition with the Mullen Scales of Early Learning in young children with and without neurodevelopmental disorders. Child Neuropsychology: A Journal on Normal and Abnormal Development in Childhood And Adolescence, 1, 1 14. Swineford, L. B., Guthrie, W., & Thurm, A. (2015). Convergent and divergent of the Mullen Scales of Early Learning in Young Children with and without autism spectrum disorder. Psychological Assessment, April 2015. doi: 10.1037/pas0000116 Mullen, E. M. (1995). Mullen Scales of Early Learning: AGS Edition. Minneapolis, MN: Pearson (AGS).
Nordahl-Hansen, A., Kaale, A., & Ulvund, S. E. (2014). Language assessment in children with autism spectrum disorder: Concurrent between report-based assessments and direct tests. Research In Autism Spectrum Disorders,8(9), 1100 1106. doi: 10.1016/j.rasd.2014.05.017