Kent Inventory of Developmental Skills

Question: What is the Kent Inventory of Developmental Skills? Answer: The Kent Inventory of Developmental Skills gives a detailed look at the first 15 months of life.The test is designed for 0-15 months, and children up to age 6, with developmental ages of less than 15 months and the test takes about 45 minutes to administer.

An ideal way to respond to current mandates for early intervention. KIDS offers a way to bring caregivers into the assessment and treatment process, as mandated by IDEA (PL 101-476). Completed by the child's parent, teacher, nurse or child-care worker, the KIDS assesses the following domains: Cognitive, Self-Help, Communication, Motor, and Social.

Professional supervision is not necessary to complete the scale. It can be completed at home and returned for scoring. The developmental age scores produced by KIDS give a clear picture of the child's overall developmental status as well as relative strengths and needs. The KIDS profile tells whether the child is developmentally delayed, at risk or not delayed. In addition, standard scores allow comparison of developmental status across time, samples and measures. Optional Developmental Timetables identify expected emergent behaviors, if development is proceeding normally.

The KIDS has been used world-wide to assess premature infants, and young children, with developmental disabilities. It has proven psychometrically sound, with diverse populations, in various settings, including hospitals, neonatal follow-up programs, Early Start programs, Easter Seal and United Cerebral Palsy agencies, adoption programs, parenting classes and programs for drug-addicted mothers.