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Interformat Reliability of Web-Based Parent-Rated Questionnaires for Assessing Neurodevelopmental Disorders Among
Masanori Tanaka1, Manabu Saito2, Michio Takahashi3,4
1Faculty of Business Administration, Hokkai-Gakuen University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
Insights
Web-based questionnaires for Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ), ADHD-RS, DCDQ, and SDQ demonstrated reliability and validity comparable to paper versions. This confirms their suitability for assessing neurodevelopmental disorders in preschoolers.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatric Health
- Psychometrics
Background:
- Early detection and intervention are crucial for neurodevelopmental disorders.
- Paper-based questionnaires are common for early childhood assessments.
- Psychometric equivalence between web-based and paper versions remains largely unexamined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the interformat reliability of web-based versus paper versions of key developmental screening tools.
- Investigated Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ), ADHD-RS, DCDQ, and SDQ in Japanese preschoolers.
- Examined psychometric equivalence in a community developmental health check-up setting.
Main Methods:
- Paper questionnaires (ASSQ, ADHD-RS, DCDQ, P-SDQ) were administered to 508 parents of 5-year-olds.
- After 3 months, 140 parents from the initial cohort completed web-based versions of the same questionnaires.
- Interclass correlation coefficients and mean score differences were analyzed to determine reliability.
Main Results:
- High internal consistency (McDonald's ω) was found for both web-based and paper formats across all questionnaires.
- Significant intraclass correlation coefficients (P<.001) indicated strong agreement between web and paper versions for ASSQ, ADHD-RS, DCDQ, and P-SDQ.
- No significant mean score differences were observed, except for minor effect sizes in ADHD-RS, suggesting high interformat reliability.
Conclusions:
- Web-based versions of ASSQ, ADHD-RS, DCDQ, and P-SDQ exhibit psychometric equivalence to their paper counterparts.
- The findings support the internal consistency and intrarater reliability of the digital formats.
- Web-based questionnaires are applicable and reliable tools for assessing neurodevelopmental disorders in preschoolers.
Background:
Early detection and intervention for neurodevelopmental disorders are effective. Several types of paper questionnaires have been developed to assess these conditions in early childhood; however, the psychometric equivalence between the web-based and the paper versions of these questionnaires is unknown.
Objective:
This study examined the interformat reliability of the web-based parent-rated version of the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale (ADHD-RS), Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire 2007 (DCDQ), and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) among Japanese preschoolers in a community developmental health check-up setting.
Methods:
A set of paper-based questionnaires were distributed for voluntary completion to parents of children aged 5 years. The package of the paper format questionnaires included the ASSQ, ADHD-RS, DCDQ, parent-reported SDQ (P-SDQ), and several additional demographic questions. Responses were received from 508 parents of children who agreed to participate in the study. After 3 months, 300 parents, who were among the initial responders, were randomly selected and asked to complete the web-based versions of these questionnaires. A total of 140 parents replied to the web-based format and were included as a final sample in this study.
Results:
We obtained the McDonald ω coefficients for both the web-based and paper formats of the ASSQ (web-based: ω=.90; paper: ω=.86), ADHD-RS total and subscales (web-based: ω=.88-.94; paper: ω=.87-.93), DCDQ total and subscales (web-based: ω=.82-.94; paper: ω=.74-.92), and P-SDQ total and subscales (web-based: ω=.55-.81; paper: ω=.52-.80). The intraclass correlation coefficients between the web-based and paper formats were all significant at the 99.9% confidence level: ASSQ (r=0.66, P<.001); ADHD-RS total and subscales (r=0.66-0.74, P<.001); DCDQ total and subscales (r=0.66-0.71, P<.001); P-SDQ Total Difficulties and subscales (r=0.55-0.73, P<.001). There were no significant differences between the web-based and paper formats for total mean score of the ASSQ (P=.76), total (P=.12) and subscale (P=.11-.47) mean scores of DCDQ, and the P-SDQ Total Difficulties mean score (P=.20) and mean subscale scores (P=.28-.79). Although significant differences were found between the web-based and paper formats for mean ADHD-RS scores (total: t132=2.83, P=.005; Inattention subscale: t133=2.15, P=.03; Hyperactivity/Impulsivity subscale: t133=3.21, P=.002), the effect sizes were small (Cohen d=0.18-0.22).
Conclusions:
These results suggest that the web-based versions of the ASSQ, ADHD-RS, DCDQ, and P-SDQ were equivalent, with the same level of internal consistency and intrarater reliability as the paper versions, indicating the applicability of the web-based versions of these questionnaires for assessing neurodevelopmental disorders.
