Piloting a Developmental Screening Tool Adapted for East African Children

Area of Science:

• Global child development
• Pediatric screening tools
• Resource-limited healthcare settings

Background:

• Developmental screening is crucial for early intervention in children.
• Existing tools are often difficult to administer in resource-poor settings.
• Identifying reliable screening methods for vulnerable populations is a priority.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility and preliminary construct validity of an adapted parent-reported developmental screener in East African children.
• To determine if known risk factors, such as elevated blood lead and stunting, predict failed developmental screening.
• To evaluate the tool's utility in resource-limited settings.

Main Methods:

• An adapted parent-reported developmental screener was administered to 100 Ugandan children (6-59 months).
• Blood lead levels were measured, and stunting was assessed.
• Multivariate logistic regression controlled for maternal education, age, and home electricity access.

Main Results:

• The adapted screener was feasible to administer.
• 14% of children failed to meet age-appropriate developmental milestones.
• Elevated blood lead or stunting did not predict screening failure after controlling for covariates.

Conclusions:

• The adapted developmental screening tool demonstrated feasibility but lacked preliminary construct validity.
• The tool is not currently recommended for screening in high-risk populations.
• Future research requires larger sample sizes and cognitive interviews for contextual relevance.