Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 26, 2026
Author Spotlight: Assessing the Feasibility of Using Amplitude-Integrated EEG During Neonatal Transport
Published on: June 21, 2024
Early detection of communication delays with the PEDS tools in at-risk South African infants
Jeannie van der Linde1, De Wet Swanepoel1,2, Linique Hanekom1
1Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
Insights
The Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) tools showed low accuracy in detecting infant communication delays. While not precise for language, they identified general communication issues in South African primary healthcare settings.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- Rising prevalence of infant communication delays linked to environmental factors.
- Early detection through effective screening tools is crucial for at-risk infants.
- Need for validated tools in diverse primary healthcare settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- Evaluate the accuracy of Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) tools.
- Assess PEDS, PEDS-Developmental Milestones, and PEDS for detecting communication delays in 6-12 month olds.
- Contextualize tool performance within a South African primary healthcare system.
Main Methods:
- Comparative study design.
- Utilized the Rossetti Infant-Toddler Language Scale (RITLS) as a diagnostic benchmark.
- Convenience sampling of 201 infants in primary healthcare clinics.
Main Results:
- Low sensitivity scores (14%-44%) for expressive and receptive language across all PEDS screens.
- High combined sensitivity (71%) and specificity (73%) for language and socio-emotional domains.
- PEDS tools identified general communication delays, not specific language deficits.
Conclusions:
- PEDS tools demonstrated limitations in accurately detecting specific receptive and expressive language delays in infants.
- The tools were effective in identifying broader communication delays.
- Further research is recommended for PEDS tools' accuracy in older children (2-5 years).
Background:
Prevalence of communication delays or disorders is increasing, possibly because of various environmental risk factors. Selection and implementation of effective screening tools are important to detect at-risk infants as early as possible. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of the Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS), PEDS-Developmental Milestones and PEDS tools to detect communication delays in infants (6-12 months) in a South African primary healthcare context.
Method:
A comparative study design evaluated the accuracy of the PEDS tools to detect communication delays, using an internationally accepted diagnostic assessment tool, the Rossetti Infant-Toddler Language Scale (RITLS). A convenience sample of 201 infants was selected at primary healthcare clinics.
Results:
Expressive and receptive language sensitivity scores were low across all three screens (ranging between 14% and 44%). The PEDS tools had high sensitivity (71%) and specificity (73%) ratings for the receptive and expressive language and socio-emotional domain in combination.
Conclusion:
In the sample population, the PEDS tools did not accurately detect receptive and expressive language delays; however, communication delays in general were identified. Future research determining accuracy of the PEDS, PEDS-Developmental Milestones and PEDS tools for children aged 2-5 years in detecting communication delays should be prioritised.
More Related Videos
11:14A Novel Experimental and Analytical Approach to the Multimodal Neural Decoding of Intent During Social Interaction in Freely-behaving Human Infants
Published on: October 4, 2015
08:08Author Spotlight: Capturing Infant-Caregiver Interactions Through Synchronized Multimodal Data Collection
Published on: May 31, 2024