Possible NPTE Questions & Topics Highlighted by Professors

Until when should you correct If a baby is born prematurely, you adjust their age when checking their developmental milestones, and you keep doing this adjustment until when?

Until they are 2 years old

A physical therapist is evaluating a 10-month-old infant who was born at 28 weeks gestation. The infant is not yet demonstrating several developmental milestones expected for a 10-month-old. When determining whether the infant's development is age-appropriate, which age should the therapist use?

A. Chronological age of 10 months
B. Corrected age of 3 months
C. Corrected age of 7 months
D. Gestational age of 28 weeks

C. Corrected age of 7 months

• For infants born prematurely, developmental age should be corrected for prematurity until 2 years of age

• Corrected age = chronological age − weeks/months premature

What are the components of norm-referenced tests?

• Standard point scores

• Compares individual performance against group performance

• Normal distribution

• Maximizes differences among individuals

• Requires diagnostic skills

• Not sensitive to effects of therapy or instruction

• Not concerned with task analysis

• Summative

What are the components of criterion-referenced tests?

• Cutoff scores

• Compares performance against described criteria

• Variability of scores are not obtained

• Discriminates between successive performance of one individual

• Provides information for planning therapy

• Sensitive to effects of intervention

• Depends on task analysis

• Formative

A physical therapist is selecting an assessment to evaluate a child's motor development. The therapist wants to determine how the child's performance compares with that of a large group of children of the same age. The assessment uses standardized scores based on a normal distribution and is designed to maximize differences between individuals.

Which of the following BEST describes this type of assessment?

A. Criterion-referenced test
B. Norm-referenced test
C. Task analysis
D. Performance-based outcome measure

B. Norm-referenced test

• Compares an individual's performance to the performance of a normative group

• If the question emphasizes comparing the patient to peers, percentiles, standardized scores, or a normal distribution → think NORM-REFERENCED

A physical therapist is evaluating a patient who recently sustained a stroke. The therapist wants to determine whether the patient can independently perform specific functional tasks, identify which components of the tasks are impaired, and use the results to plan treatment. The assessment provides cutoff scores based on predetermined performance criteria and can be repeated to determine whether the patient improves following intervention.

Which of the following BEST describes this type of assessment?

A. Norm-referenced test
B. Criterion-referenced test
C. Standardized norm score
D. Summative assessment

B. Criterion-referenced test

• A criterion-referenced test compares a person's performance to a specific, predetermined criterion, rather than comparing them to other people

A physical therapist is asked to evaluate a 20-month-old child who has a developmental delay. The child's parents are concerned that the child is not meeting expected gross motor milestones. The child is eligible to receive early intervention services through a federal program that provides services to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families.

Which of the following BEST describes the legislation that governs these services?

A. IDEA Part B, which provides special education services for school-aged children
B. IDEA Part C, which provides early intervention services for infants and toddlers
C. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which provides early intervention services for children with disabilities
D. ADA, which establishes individualized family service plans for infants and toddlers

B. IDEA Part C, which provides early intervention services for infants and toddlers

How often should an evaluation to determine developmental status of an infant or toddler be conducted?

Annually

A physical therapist is performing a wellness screening on a 4-year-old child from a family receiving federal assistance. The child's height is at the 25th percentile, while the child's weight-for-height ratio has decreased from the 15th percentile at the previous visit to the 4th percentile. The parent reports that the child has recently become a very selective eater but otherwise appears active and energetic.

Which of the following is the MOST appropriate interpretation of these findings?

A. The child's growth is appropriate because height remains above the 5th percentile.

B. The decrease in weight-for-height is expected in children from low socioeconomic backgrounds and does not require follow-up unless the child becomes symptomatic.

C. The child should immediately begin a high-calorie exercise program to increase body weight.

D. The weight-for-height ratio reaching below the 5th percentile is of concern, and the child's growth velocity should be closely monitored.

D. The weight-for-height ratio reaching below the 5th percentile is of concern, and the child's growth velocity should be closely monitored.

• In children from families receiving federal assistance, a weight-for-height ratio at or below the 5th percentile is a red flag that warrants closer surveillance

• The child's ratio also dropped from the 15th to the 5th percentile makes the finding more concerning because there is a change in growth pattern

A physical therapist is performing a wellness screening on a 4-year-old child from a family receiving federal assistance. At the previous visit 6 months ago, the child's weight-for-height ratio was at the 12th percentile. At today's visit, the ratio has decreased to the 6th percentile. The child's height remains at the 25th percentile, and the parent reports that the child has recently become a selective eater but remains active and participates in age-appropriate activities.

Which of the following is the MOST appropriate interpretation of these findings?

A. The child's weight-for-height ratio is above the 5th-percentile, but the downward trend warrants continued surveillance of growth velocity.

B. The child should be considered to have inadequate growth because any weight-for-height ratio below the 10th percentile is of concern.

C. The child has reached the caution threshold because the weight-for-height ratio has decreased by more than 5 percentile points.

D. The child should immediately be referred for nutritional intervention because children receiving federal assistance are at increased risk for inadequate nutrition.

A. The child's weight-for-height ratio is above the 5th-percentile, but the downward trend warrants continued surveillance of growth velocity.

• This child is currently at the 6th percentile, so they have not crossed the 5th-percentile cutoff

• The decrease from 12th → 6th percentile indicates a downward growth trend. Therefore, the child should continue to be closely monitored rather than being automatically labeled as having a red flag based solely on the current percentile