Description:
The Nursing Child Assessment Teaching Scale
(NCATS) is used to assess the quality of the caregiver-child
teaching interaction for children from birth to 3 years of
age. The 73-item teaching scale is organized into six subscales,
four of which assess the caregiver’s behavior and two
the child’s. The four caregiver subscales assess the
caregiver’s sensitivity to cues, response to the child’s
distress, fostering of social-emotional growth, and fostering
of cognitive growth. The two child subscales assess the clarity
of the child’s cues and responsiveness to the caregiver.
Uses of Information: The teaching scale identifies areas
of strengths and weaknesses in the caregiver-child teaching
interaction. The results can be used to build the caregiver’s
skills to facilitate the development of the child.
Reliability: (1) Internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s
alpha): ranged from .52 to .80 on the caregiver subscales,
.50 on the child’s clarity of cues, and .78 on the child’s
responsiveness to parent subscales. The alphas for the total
caregiver and child subscales were .87 and .81, respectively.
(2) Test-retest reliability (with a 3- to 4-month interval
between tests): .85 on the total parent score and .55 on the
total infant score.
Validity: (1) Concurrent validity:
NCATS caregiver scores were tested for concurrent validity
against the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment
(HOME) and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. The correlations
of the total NCATS scores with the total HOME score among
children ages 1 to 36 months, in three age groups, ranged
from .41 to .44. The correlation of the total NCATS score
with the Bayley Mental Development Index (MDI) and Bayley
Psychomotor Development Index (PDI) were .28 and .34, respectively.
In both cases, the caregiver scales, especially the social-emotional
and cognitive growth subscales, were more strongly correlated
with the HOME and Bayley. (2) Predictive validity: a test
for predictive validity reported correlations of .23 and .34,
respectively, between NCATS total scores taken at 3 and 10
months and MDI scores, both statistically significant. The
subscale correlations ranged from –.01 to .37. Correlations
between the NCATS caregiver and total scores at 24 months
with the Bayley MDI (at 24 months), Preschool Language (at
36 months), and WPPSI IQ (at 60 months) were stronger and
more consistent than the correlations between the cognitive
measures and NCATS scores at 12 months.
Method of Scoring: During the teaching session, the observer
goes through the 73-item scale and marks “yes”
or “no” for each item depending upon whether or
not the behavior was observed. The teaching manual provides
the user with step-by-step scoring instructions. The user
must calculate the totals for each subscale and the total
score. The scores are compared to a table provided in the
manual to determine whether the score falls under the 10 percentile
cutoff score.
Interpretability: The Teaching Manual provides step-by-step
instructions on how to interpret scores using population norms.
Tables that compare NCATS scores to the norms are provided.
Training Support: To learn essential child care skills, users
of NCATS are strongly recommended to view NCAST’s “Keys
to Caregiving” video series. Workshops are also available
through NCAST or NCAST certified instructors. The fee for
NCAST’s workshops is $900, which covers training on
assessing caregiver-child interaction. NCAST recommends that
individuals view the “Keys to Caregiving” videos
prior to attending NCAST training.
Adaptations/Special Instructions for Individuals with Disabilities:
None.
Report Preparation Support: General guidance is provided
in the step-by-step instructions on the use of the teaching
scale, including some suggestions on how to review and discuss
any identified problems with caregivers and how to document
an agreed upon prescription of practice/behavior by the caregivers. References:
Summer, Georgina and Anita L. Spietz. NCAST Caregiver/Parent-Child
Interaction Teaching Manual, 2nd Edition. Seattle, WA: NCAST
Publications, University of Washington, June 1995.
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