Development of Parent Guidelines for Parent-Performed Developmental Screening Tests

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Developmental Psychology
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Developmental screening tests often rely on parent-completed questionnaires.
• A lack of clear guidance can hinder accurate parent responses.
• Improving parent-completed screening tools is crucial for early detection of developmental issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop easily applicable parent guidelines for developmental screening questionnaires.
• To enhance the accuracy and usability of parent-performed developmental assessments.

Main Methods:

• A Delphi procedure with 20 panelists was used to develop guidelines.
• Initial questionnaire items were based on parent and expert surveys on the Korean Developmental Screening Test.
• Consensus was defined by specific agreement, convergence, and stability values.

Main Results:

• Consensus on guideline items was reached after two rounds.
• 113 out of 167 parents (67.7%) found the guidelines useful.
• Guidelines recommending different scoring strategies were perceived as more helpful.

Conclusions:

• Developed parent guidelines are based on expert consensus.
• The guidelines aim to improve the accuracy of developmental screening tests.
• Further research is needed to validate guideline effectiveness in clinical settings.