Profiles of early childhood developmental skills and experiences of risk

Authors

• Alyssa R. Palmer, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
• Tralucia Powell, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
• Amanda Kalstabakken, University of Minnesota Medical School
• Jasmine M. Benegas, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
• Rebecca Distefano, Roger Williams UniversityFollow
• Charlotte Kinsley, Minneapolis Public Schools
• Cynthia K. Hillyer, Minneapolis Public Schools
• Ann S. Masten, University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Early Childhood Research Quarterly

Publication Date

7-1-2026

Abstract

Developmental challenges often emerge early in childhood. Many states require that all children participate in early childhood screening during their preschool years (3 to 6 years old) to determine early need for intervention services before entering school. The current study included 496 children who participated in early childhood screening in Minneapolis, Minnesota. We took a person-centered approach to identify whether there were meaningful profiles of early childhood developmental skills. Results indicated that four profiles best described this sample, with most children characterized as having high (51%) and average (29%) ranges of functioning across developmental skills. The other two profiles consisted of children functioning either low (12%) or low with specific challenges in cognition, language, gross motor, and social-emotional skills (8%). Given that the state of Minnesota has some of the most pronounced academic achievement gaps across race, income, and housing status in the United States, this study also evaluated how certain early childhood indicators of risk contribute to the probability of having each developmental profile. Black race, experiences of homelessness, and child protective services involvement predicted a higher likelihood of being in low performing profiles compared to children in the high performance profile. However, children with multiple risk factors were present in all profiles, suggesting that some children demonstrated resilience despite exposure to risk. Implications of the profile results for screening and interventions services are discussed.

Volume

76

First Page

581

Last Page

590

DOI

10.1016/j.ecresq.2026.05.003

Recommended Citation

Palmer, A., Powell, T., Kalstabakken, A., Benegas, J., Distefano, R., Kinsley, C., Hillyer, C., & Masten, A. (2026). Profiles of early childhood developmental skills and experiences of risk. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 76, 581-590. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2026.05.003

ISSN

08852006