SEAM technical appendix.pdf

Technical Report

In the prevention and early identification of social-emotional difficulties and behavior disorders, as well as to build positive partnerships with families and optimize positive caregiver–child interactions in the first years of life. SEAM benchmarks and items were identified from the literature on social-emotional development of young children raised in mainly Western cultures; certain concepts repeatedly emerged as those that were deemed essential or critically important to the mental health competence of young children (Squires & Bricker, 2007). These benchmarks and items were reviewed and revised in an iterative process based on feedback from family members and experts in infant mental health, early childhood, early intervention/early childhood special education, psychology, and behavior disorders.

Additional data were also collected on Infant, Toddler, and Preschool Intervals through an online research website (Squires et al., 2012a, 2012b). Research questions included the following:

The psychometric properties of the SEAM were investigated in a series of research studies that are reported in this chapter. Psychometric studies on the Infant and Toddler Intervals were conducted as part of a federally funded research grant; pencil-and-paper as well as online data were gathered from a variety of caregivers served in programs around the United States.

Data Collection

The pencil-and-paper data were gathered from caregivers and practitioners in early childhood programs serving typically developing children and children with developmental delays. Data were collected in 49 states across the United States and from Canada. The number of completed SEAMs from each state ranged from 1 to 279, with the largest number coming from Oregon. The sample included a total of 2,201 SEAMs; 1,850 were collected online, and 351 were collected from paper-and-pencil versions. Of the sample, 59% of children were male and 41% were female. The children represented in the sample were predominately Caucasian (76.1%). Other ethnicities included multiracial (6.2%), Hispanic/Latino (4.9%), African American (4.7%), Asian (3.7%), American Indian/Alaskan Native (1.1%), Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (0.1%), and other nonspecified ethnicity. The greatest percentage of participating caregivers (60%) had a bachelor’s or postgraduate/graduate degree, whereas 19% had some college, 17% had a high school diploma or general equivalency diploma, and 4% had not completed high school.

Data Analysis Techniques

Data analysis techniques included item response theory (IRT) modeling as well as classical test analyses. IRT modeling was used to examine item order and fit statistics while traditional test analyses were employed to complete validity and reliability studies.

Item Fit Statistics

Age interval Benchmark Infit mean MNSQ(SD) Infit MNSQ range Outfit mean MNSQ(SD) Outfit MNSQ range Item ordering
Infant 1.0 0.98(0.19) 0.84-1.29 0.95(0.17) 0.81-1.23 a,d,b,c
2.0 0.97(0.21) 0.79-1.26 0.97(0.24) 0.71-1.29 a,b,c
3.0 0.99(0.08) 0.89-1.09 0.97(0.05) 0.89-1.02 b,a,c
4.0 0.99(0.10) 0.87-1.14 0.93(0.14) 0.78-1.16 b,c,d,a

Reliability of the Infant, Toddler, and Preschool SEAM™ Intervals

Interrater Reliability

Interrater reliability data for the Infant and Toddler Intervals were collected from teacher dyads working at a high-quality childcare center serving primarily children of University of Oregon faculty and staff. Results are presented in the table for interrater agreement.

Classroom n r Intraclass correlation
Infant 1 12 .776** .564*
Toddler 1 7 .668 .657*
Toddler 2 7 .948** .932**
Toddler 3 8 .640 .324

Test–Retest Reliability

SEAM™ interval n r
Infant 43 .987**
Toddler 42 .968**
Preschool 49 .989**

Concurrent Validity

DECA ITSEA Compliance ITSEA Negative Emotion ITSEA Pro-social ASQ:SE
Infant SEAM scores r .754** .628** -.415* .651** -.557**
Toddler SEAM scores r NA .564** -.261** .652** -.516**
Preschool SEAM scores r NA NA NA NA -.810**

Utility of the SEAM™ System

The authors collected utility data from 434 caregivers who completed the SEAM. More than 93% of caregivers felt that the SEAM asked appropriate and useful questions. Ninety-one percent of caregivers felt that items were clearly worded. Caregivers indicated they were alerted to new child skills (56% agreed or strongly agreed, whereas 23% had no opinion);

Future Research Efforts

The authors believe the SEAM is a measure with data that validates its use in the realm of social-emotional assessment and intervention. Research is ongoing; the authors continue to collect and assemble information to examine the validity, reliability, and usefulness of the SEAM.