Psychometric validation of the Spanish version of the parent-reported developmental profile 3 (DP-3)

Neurodevelopmental assessment in childhood is essential in educational, clinical, and research contexts to establish benchmarks and detect early signs of neurodevelopmental disorders. The Developmental Profile 3 (DP-3) is a parent-reported screening tool for measuring neurodevelopment in the general population, though its Spanish adaptation has not been independently assessed. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Spanish DP-3 in 440 toddlers (47.7% female; 78.4% European ethnicity; mean age 29.8 months) from Barcelona, Spain, based on data collected between March 2022 and March 2024. The DP-3 demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha > .7) and acceptable to moderate internal structure fit (CFI = .924, TLI = .848). High sensitivity to developmental change across all scales was observed in repeated assessments of a subset of participants. Construct validity was supported by associations with child age, number of siblings, maternal logical reasoning and educational level, and breastfeeding, along with moderate correlations with the corresponding subscales of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development III (r = -.01; .48). These findings support the Spanish version of the DP-3 as a reliable and valid instrument for assessing neurodevelopment in Spanish toddlers.