A Danish reference chart for assessment of psychomotor development based on the Ages & Stages Questionnaire

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Development
• Developmental Screening Tools
• Public Health Research

Background:

• Establishing normative data for developmental screening tools is crucial for accurate assessment.
• The Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) is widely used for developmental surveillance.
• Normative data for the ASQ in the general population is needed for comparison with at-risk groups.

Purpose of the Study:

• To obtain Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) scores from a background Danish population.
• To create a reference group for extremely preterm children at nine and 18 months corrected age.
• To validate the use of ASQ scores from the general population for developmental assessment.

Main Methods:

• A total of 298 children were randomly selected from the Danish population across three age groups: 9, 18, and 21 months.
• Parents completed the 10-month ASQ at their child's corrected age of nine months.
• Parents completed the 24-month ASQ at their child's corrected age of 18 or 21 months.

Main Results:

• ASQ total scores were normally distributed in both the 9- and 18/21-month-old groups.
• A highly significant linear regression (p < 0.001) was observed between ASQ total score and adjusted age for both the 10- and 24-month ASQ versions.
• These findings support the use of ASQ scores across different age bands.

Conclusions:

• Overall child development can be assessed using an ASQ intended for older children.
• Developmental delay screening for children aged 8-10 months or 18-22 months can be efficiently performed using reference charts.
• These charts can serve as a benchmark for monitoring neonatal service quality and ensuring classification according to Danish standards.