Griffiths Scales of Child Development 3rd Edition: normalization for the Brazilian population

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Pediatric Assessment
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Child development assessment requires validated instruments.
• The Griffiths Scales of Child Development 3rd Edition (Griffiths III) is a key tool for evaluating developmental areas.
• Normalization is essential for accurate application across diverse populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To normalize the Griffiths III for the Brazilian population.
• To establish normative data for children aged 0 to 72 months in Brazil.
• To provide a reliable assessment tool for Brazilian child development.

Main Methods:

• Involved 445 typically developing Brazilian children aged 0-72 months.
• Data collection included anamnesis, Denver II Developmental Screening Test, and Griffiths III.
• Statistical analysis utilized Mann-Whitney Test and Spearman's correlation, adhering to original scale normalization criteria.

Main Results:

• Established a statistically significant correlation between maternal schooling and socioeconomic status.
• Demonstrated direct correlations in performance across Griffiths III subscales.
• Developed a normalization table for Griffiths III using linear progression for Brazilian children aged 0-72 months.

Conclusions:

• The normalized Griffiths III provides a valid measure for Brazilian children aged 0-72 months.
• This study successfully adapted the Griffiths III to the Brazilian context.
• The findings support accurate and reliable child development assessments in Brazil.