KIPS is a structured observation tool to assess parent-child interaction during play. KIPS assesses the parent's (or other significant caregiver's) behavior in the context of the child's needs. To ensure reliability, the play session is often videotaped and scored later.
Overview
KIPS
Comfort, M., Gordon, P.R. & Naples, D. (2011). KIPS: An Evidence-Based Tool for Asessing Parenting Strengths and Needs in Diverse Families. Infants & Young Children, 24(1), 56-74
Place an order for online or onsite KIPS training (required) and materials at: http://comfortconsults.com
Administration
5-point rating scale with behavior descriptors at the odd points. Check NOB when behavior is not observed.
| Domains | Scales | Sample Items |
|---|---|---|
| Building Relationships | Rate on 1 to 5 scale using behavioral descriptors | How well does the Parent support the Child's emotions? |
| Promoting (Child's) Learning | Rate on 1 to 5 scale using behavioral descriptors | How actively does the Parent engage the Child in language experiences? |
| Supporting (Child's) Confidence | Rate on 1 to 5 scale using behavioral descriptors | |
| How supportive are the Parent's directions to the Child? |
Training
Scoring practice with local families and ongoing supervision highly recommended after initial training
Parallel or Alternate Forms
Psychometrics
Rather than clinical cutoffs, which depend on the particular characteristic of the service population, we have established guidelines to interpret changes in aggregated scores for program evaluation. The KIPS item behavior descriptors allow the scores to be organized as follows to track the progress of the families enrolled in the intervention program: - Low quality - KIPS mean 1.0-2.9 (indicating parenting concerns) - Moderate quality - KIPS mean 3.0-3.9 - High quality - KIPS mean 4.0-5.0
| Type: | Rating | Statistics | Min | Max | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test-Retest | Acceptable | Pearson correlation | 0.88 | ||
| Internal Consistency | Acceptable | Chronbach's Alpha | 0.95 | ||
| Inter-rater | Acceptable | Pearson correlation | 0.89 |
Comfort, M., Gordon, P.R. & Unger, D.G. (2006). Keys to Interactive Parenting Scale: A Window Into Many Facets of Parenting. Zero to Three Journal, 26(5), 37-44. Comfort, M., Gordon, P.R. & Naples, D. (2011). KIPS: An Evidence-Based Tool for Assessing Parenting Strengths and Needs in Diverse Families. Infants & Young Children, 24(1), 56-74.
KIPS was developed through a series of steps which included expert and literature reviews and practitioner focus groups.
Comfort, M. & Gordon, P.R. (2006). The Keys to Interactive Parenting Scale (KIPS): A Practical Observational Assessment of Parenting Behavior. NHSA Dialog: A Research-To-Practice Journal for the Early Intervention Field, 9(1), 22-48.
| Validity Type | Not known | Not found | Nonclincal Samples | Clinical Samples | Diverse Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Convergent/Concurrent | x | ||||
| Discriminant | |||||
| Sensitive to Change | x | ||||
| Intervention Effects | x | ||||
| Longitudinal/Maturation Effects | |||||
| Sensitive to Theoretically Distinct Groups | x | ||||
| Factorial Validity | x |
Comfort, M., Gordon, P.R. & Naples, D. (2011). KIPS: An Evidence-Based Tool for Assessing Parenting Strengths and Needs in Diverse Families. Infants & Young Children, 24(1), 56-74.
Comfort, M., Gordon, P.R., English, B., Hacker, K., Hembree, R., Knight, R., & Miller, C. (2010). Keys to Interactive Parenting Scale: KIPS Shows How Parents Grow. Zero to Three Journal, 30(4), 33-39.
Carta, J., Lefever,, J.B., Bigelow, K., Borkowski, J. & Warren, SF. (in press, Pediatrics) Randomized trial of a cellular-phone enhanced home visitation parenting intervention. Manuscript received from authors.
| Not Known | Not Found | Nonclinical Samples | Clinical Samples | Diverse Samples | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Predictive Validity: | x | ||||
| Postdictive Validity: |
Comfort, M., Gordon, P.R. & Naples, D. (2011). KIPS: An Evidence-Based Tool for Assessing Parenting Strengths and Needs in Diverse Families. Infants & Young Children, 24(1), 56-74.
KIPS validation studies were conducted with families recruited through family service programs. Many of these were low-income families who reported histories of challenging life circumstances that qualified them for enrollment in the service programs.
Translations
| Language: | Translated | Back Translated | Reliable | Good Psychometrics | Similar Factor Structure | Norms Available | Meaure Developed for this Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. English | x | x | |||||
| 2. Spanish | x | x | x |
Population Information
Pilot studies included community-based samples recruited from childcare centers, Head Start and family residential treatment for mothers recover from substance abuse. KIPS validation studies, supported by the National Center for Child Health and Human Development, were conducted with families recruited through family service programs. All were receiving home visits. Many of these were low-income families who reported histories of challenging life circumstances that qualified them for enrollment in the service programs. Parents/caregivers were primarily African American, European American and Latino mothers, with nearly 10% fathers, ages 14-69 years. Children were 2 months-5years of age, nearly equal by gender, and 86% were developing typically.
Pros & Cons/References
· Identifies specific parenting strengths and needs
· Guides staff observations and insights
· Tracks family progress
· Documents parenting outcomes
· Offers common language for family case reviews
· Provides learning tool for reflective practice
· KIPS requires 10 hours of initial training with certification exam
· KIPS requires annual recertification for use
· Ongoing supervision is recommended
· Video is recommended
Comfort, M., Gordon, P.R. & Naples, D. (2011). KIPS: An evidence-based tool for assessing parenting strengths and needs in diverse families. Infants & Young Children, 24(1), 56-74.
Comfort, M., Gordon, P.R., English, B., Hacker, K., Hembree, R., Knight, R., & Miller, C. (2010). Keys to Interactive Parenting Scale: KIPS shows how parents grow. Zero to Three Journal, 30(4), 33-39.
Comfort, M. & Gordon, P.R. (2006). The Keys to Interactive Parenting Scale (KIPS): A practical observational assessment of parenting behavior. NHSA Dialog: A Research-To-Practice Journal for the Early Intervention Field, 9(1), 22-48.
Comfort, M., Gordon, P.R. & Unger, D.G. (2006). Keys to Interactive Parenting Scale: A window into many facets of parenting. Zero to Three Journal, 26(5), 37-44.
Carta, J., Lefever,, J.B., Bigelow, K., Borkowski, J. & Warren, SF. (in press, Pediatrics) Randomized trial of a cellular-phone enhanced home visitation parenting intervention. Manuscript received from authors.
Information on the KIPS tool, training, library resources, and publications is available at http://comfortconsults.com . We welcome inquiries via email at info@comfortconsults.com.