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The Use of the Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status and Developmental Milestones in Screening Children for
Hina Sheel1,2, Lidia Suárez2, Nigel V Marsh3
1Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, De Montfort University Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Insights
The Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) and PEDS: Developmental Milestones (PEDS:DM) show potential for early detection of developmental delays in Indian children. However, caution is advised due to variable accuracy, especially with PEDS:DM.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- Developmental delays impact children globally, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
- Screening tools like PEDS and PEDS:DM offer accessible methods for early identification.
- Accurate screening is crucial for timely intervention and improved child outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of PEDS and PEDS:DM in identifying developmental delays in Indian children aged 4-8 years.
- To compare the performance of PEDS and PEDS:DM in distinguishing typical development (TD) from developmental disabilities (DD).
- To explore the correlation between parents' general and specific developmental concerns.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 407 children with TD and 59 with DD in India.
- Participants aged 4-8 years completed the PEDS and PEDS:DM questionnaires online.
- Data analyzed to determine sensitivity and specificity of the screening tools.
Main Results:
- PEDS demonstrated high sensitivity (91%) but low specificity (47%).
- PEDS:DM showed poor sensitivity (17%) and specificity (6%).
- Parents' general concerns correlated with specific issues in behavior, cognition, health, and motor skills for both TD and DD groups.
Conclusions:
- PEDS and PEDS:DM can aid in early detection of developmental delays in children aged 4-8 years in India.
- Interpretation of results requires caution due to the observed accuracy limitations.
- Further research is needed to refine the utility of these tools in diverse populations.
Background/Objectives:
The Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) and Developmental Milestones (PEDS:DM) are cost-effective, self-report tools that can be conveniently utilized in low- and middle-income countries to screen for developmental delays in children. This study assessed the diagnostic accuracy of PEDS and PEDS:DM in distinguishing children with typical development (TD) from those with developmental disabilities (DD). It also examined the relationship between parents' general concerns and specific developmental concerns about their children.
Method:
The study included 407 children with TD and 59 children with DD, recruited from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds in Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, and the National Capital Region of India. Parents of children aged 4 to 8 years completed the PEDS and PEDS:DM online.
Results:
The PEDS demonstrated high sensitivity (91%) but low specificity (47%), whereas the PEDS:DM showed poor sensitivity (17%) and specificity (6%). Parents of TD children who expressed general developmental concerns were likely to report specific concerns related to behavior, self-help skills, health, and cognitive development. Parents of DD children with general concerns reported specific issues with fine motor skills, behavior, school performance, cognitive development, and health.
Conclusions:
These findings suggest that while PEDS and PEDS:DM can support early detection of developmental delays, their interpretation should be approached with caution. The study provides preliminary insights into the applicability of these screening tools for children aged 4-8 years in India.
