Appendix A:
Glossary of Terms
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Baseline:
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The “baseline” NSCAW assessment occurred following the report of
a child for child maltreatment and the subsequent investigation by child
welfare services (and closing of the investigation).
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Biomedical Risk Factors:
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States have the option to provide Part C services to children with medical
or other biologically-based problems which increase the likelihood of
developmental problems. These included arthritis, joint problems or other
orthopedic impairment, chronic cardiac problems, dental problems, hernia,
hypertension, lead poisoning, obesity, persistent bowel problems, physical
deformities, repeated ear infections, severe allergies, respiratory problems,
acquired immune deficiency syndrome, low birthweight, anemia, and other similar
health problems.
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Caregiver:
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Caregiver refers to the person who has legal custody of the child or is the
foster parent. The caregiver completes the assessment questions about the
child as well as the self-report questions about family characteristics.
In NSCAW, more than 80% of the caregivers are mothers (biological and foster),
but there are some grandmothers, aunts, biological fathers, and unrelated
adults who are also caregivers.
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Child Welfare Setting:
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The place of physical residence of the child combined with the type of service.
In NSCAW this may be In Home Without On-Going Services, In Home With On-Going
Child Welfare Services, Foster Care, Kinship Care, Group Care, or Other
Out-of-Home Care.
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Developmental and Risk Indicator Groups
(DRIGs):
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In order to describe the developmental characteristics of maltreated infants
and toddlers, children were classified into one of three mutually exclusive
groups called Developmental and Risk Indicator Groups (DRIGs). The Measured
Delay group consisted of those who had a measured delay on one or more
developmental measure. These children were subject to varying number of risk
factors. This category also included a small proportion of children with
an established risk condition which made them eligible for Part C services
(e.g., cerebral palsy) regardless of measured delay, however almost all of
the children with an established risk condition also had a measured delay.
A second group, the High Risk group, consisted of children who had
at least five risk factors associated with developmental problems (e.g.,
poverty level, active domestic violence, substance abuse), but no measured
delay. All children in NSCAW had at least one risk factor; a maltreatment
experience. The final group, the Lower Risk group, had fewer than
5 risk factors and no measured delay. The groups are mutually exclusive so
a child with a measured delay was in that group regardless of the number
of risk factors they experienced.
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Developmental Delay:
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Under Part C of IDEA, states must provide services to any child “under
3 years of age who needs early intervention services” (IDEA 2004,
§632(5)(A)) because the child: “(i) is experiencing developmental
delays, as measured by appropriate diagnostic instruments and procedures
in 1 or more of the areas of cognitive development, physical development,
communication development, social or emotional development, and adaptive
development” (Shackelford, 2006). The degree of delay, number of areas
and how it is measured is up to the individual states to define.
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Environmental Risk Factors:
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Children at environmental risk include those whose caregiving circumstances
and current family situation place them at greater risk for delay than the
general population. As with biological/medical risk, states are not required,
but may chose to include children at environmental risk under the optional
Part C eligibility category of at risk. Examples of environmental risk factors
may include parental substance abuse, family social disorganization, poverty,
homelessness, parental developmental disability, parental age, parental
educational attainment, and child abuse or neglect.
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Established Risk Condition:
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A condition of established risk is defined as a “diagnosed physical
or mental condition which has a high probability of resulting in developmental
delay.” Children with these conditions are eligible for Part C services
without documentation of delay. These conditions include, but are not limited
to, chromosomal abnormalities; genetic or congenital disorders; severe sensory
impairments, including hearing and vision; inborn errors of metabolism; disorders
reflecting disturbance of the development of the nervous system; congenital
infections; disorders secondary to exposure to toxic substances, including
fetal alcohol syndrome; and severe attachment disorders.
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High Risk (in the context of child
welfare):
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A child welfare case in which there exists strong reason to believe maltreatment
will occur in the future, absent intervention, regardless of whether maltreatment
has occurred in the past.
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Indicated Maltreatment:
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A child welfare case in which there is not sufficient evidence to meet the
standard of substantiation, but where some evidence of maltreatment does
exist. Not used in every state or court.
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Logistic Regression:
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An adaptation of the linear regression model suitable for use with dichotomous
outcomes.
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Measured Delay:
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An infant or toddler in NSCAW who scored at least one standard deviation
below the mean on any two developmental instruments or at least one and one-half
standard deviations below the mean on any single developmental instrument.
Because screener versions or only portions of instruments were used, the
young age of the children at baseline, and because these scores do not constitute
a formal evaluation, a measured delay is not a diagnosis of developmental
delay.
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Risk Factors:
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Risk factors such as poverty or maternal mental health have been shown to
be associated with poorer outcomes for infants and toddlers. However the
most detrimental effects on child development are the cumulative effect of
multiple risk factors (such as low caregiver education, teenage caregiver,
biomedical risk, minority status, single caregiver, caregiver substance abuse,
active domestic violence against the caregiver, caregiver mental health problems,
and poverty).
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Substantiated Maltreatment:
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A child welfare case in which there is sufficient evidence to determine that
maltreatment occurred. This standard varies by state and court.
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Unsubstantiated maltreatment:
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A child welfare case in which there is not sufficient evidence to determine
that maltreatment occurred.
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