Abstract
Direct observation of peer relating is potentially a sensitive and ecologically valid measure of child social functioning, but there has been a lack of standardised methods. The Manchester Inventory for Playground Observation (MIPO) was developed as a practical yet rigorous assessment of this kind for 5-11 year olds. We report on the initial reliability and validity of the MIPO and its ability to distinguish social impairments within different psychopathologies. We observed 144 clinically referred children aged 5;00-11;11 (mean 8.8) years with Externalising (n = 44), Internalising (n = 19), Autism Spectrum Disorders (n = 39) or Specific Language Impairment (n = 42), and 44 class-controls, in naturalistic playground interaction. Observers, blind to clinical diagnosis, completed the MIPO and the teacher checklist from the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS). MIPO items showed high internal consistency (alpha = .924; all 'alpha if item deleted' values>.91), inter-observer reliability (mean κ(w) = .77) and test-retest stability (over 2 weeks; mean κ(w) = .58). MIPO totals showed convergence with SSRS (n = 68, r(s) = .78, p
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 2458-66 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Research in Developmental Disabilities |
Volume | 32 |
Issue number | 6 |
Early online date | 9 Aug 2011 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2011 |
Keywords
- Anxiety
- Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity
- Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders
- Child
- Child Behavior
- Child Development Disorders, Pervasive
- Child Psychology
- Conduct Disorder
- Depression
- Disability Evaluation
- Great Britain
- Humans
- Mental Disorders
- Observer Variation
- Peer Group
- Personality Inventory
- Play and Playthings
- ROC Curve
- Sensitivity and Specificity
- Social Behavior