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Developmental evaluation at age 4: Validity of an Italian parental questionnaire

Anna Maria Dall'Oglio1, Barbara Rossiello, Maria Franca Coletti

  • 1Unit of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Child Neuropsychiatry, IRCCS Paediatric Hospital Bambino Gesù, Piazza S. Onofrio 4, 00165 Rome, Italy. amdalloglio@opbg.net

Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health
|June 16, 2010
PubMed

Insights

The Italian parental questionnaire QS4-G effectively identifies 4-year-olds needing further developmental evaluation. This tool aids in screening for cognitive or behavioral concerns in young children.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatric Neurodevelopment
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Early identification of developmental delays is crucial for timely intervention.
  • Parental questionnaires offer a scalable method for developmental screening.
  • Validating tools for specific age groups and cultural contexts is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To validate the Italian parental questionnaire (QS4-G) for assessing neuropsychological and behavioral development in 4-year-olds.
  • To determine the QS4-G's ability to identify children requiring further evaluation.

Main Methods:

  • The QS4-G, comprising 93 questions across 10 developmental areas, was administered to parents of 263 four-year-olds.
  • Participants included healthy preterm infants, children with developmental disorders, and typically developing children.
  • Concurrent validity was assessed using standardized cognitive and neuropsychological tests.

Main Results:

  • The QS4-G demonstrated adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha: 0.69-0.79).
  • Good concurrent validity was shown through correlations with standardized assessments (r=|0.30|-|0.68|).
  • The tool exhibited high diagnostic capacity in predicting low cognitive development (AUC=0.90, sensitivity=0.88, specificity=0.84).

Conclusions:

  • The QS4-G is a valid tool for screening 4-year-olds at risk for cognitive or behavioral issues.
  • It can describe individual neuropsychological profiles but is not a diagnostic instrument.
  • The questionnaire is valuable for outcome studies in preterm children and for preschool prevention programs.
Abstract

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