The Preschool Preposition Test (PPT), a rapid screening test to identify delay in cognitive development of children ages 3 to 5, indicated its potential as a useful tool for the early identification of mother-child dyads in need of improving their affective relationship and verbal communications. Scores on the PPT, the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test were correlated with ratings of maternal behavior, parent-child verbal interaction, and child behavior on Bayley Test Behavior items for four samples of preschool children. Three of the samples were in home-based cognitive intervention projects; the fourth was in a preschool for physically handicapped children. Findings indicated a link between PPT scores and maternal nurturance and maternal verbal behavior with the child, factors which are often cited as related to environmentally-induced delay in cognitive development. (Author/GDC)