title: Individual and team consensus ratings of child functioning.
abstract: The authors examined agreement between interdisciplinary teams of professionals in rating the functional abilities of children with disabilities. 129 children were rated on the ABILITIES index by 72 professionals working in nine developmental evaluation centers. Independent individual ratings were made first, followed by a consensus rating. Team members had a high degree of agreement on independent ratings of abilities and limitations, with nearly 90 per cent of the ratings within one point of each other. More disagreement was associated with rating areas of behavior and communication, team experience and increased severity of disability. The team's consensus ratings were more likely to defer to the ratings of the expert in particular areas. Implications for team assessment and team functioning are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599.
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Buysse
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Simeonsson
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Keyes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010348:Patient Care Team; D012720:Severity of Illness Index