Tokyo Child Development Schedule. I. Test-retest reliability and concurrent validity

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Pediatrics
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Assessing child development is crucial for early intervention.
• Existing tools may lack comprehensive coverage or specific cultural adaptations.
• The need for a reliable and valid developmental assessment tool in Japan was identified.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the Tokyo Child Development Schedule (TCDS).
• To evaluate the reliability and concurrent validity of the TCDS.

Main Methods:

• The Tokyo Child Development Schedule (TCDS) was created with 140 items across seven developmental domains.
• Caregivers used a three-point scale (pass, sometimes pass, fail) for each item.
• Test-retest reliability and inter-rater agreement were assessed.
• Concurrent validity was examined by correlating TCDS total scores with mental ages from the Japanese Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale in 53 children.

Main Results:

• The TCDS demonstrated high test-retest reliability across all seven areas and the total score.
• Good agreement was found between two separate ratings for most items.
• A significant positive correlation (r=0.779) was observed between TCDS total scores and mental ages, indicating strong concurrent validity.

Conclusions:

• The Tokyo Child Development Schedule (TCDS) is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing child development.
• The TCDS can be effectively used by caregivers to evaluate developmental progress in children.
• The TCDS shows promise as a tool for identifying developmental delays or autistic features.