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Parents' estimation of psychomotor development in very low birthweight (VLBW) infants
1Department of Neonatology, Virchow University Children's Hospital, Berlin, Germany.
Insights
The Revised Prescreening Developmental Questionnaire (R-PDQ) accurately identified all very low birthweight (VLBW) infants with developmental delays. While it showed a high false positive rate, the R-PDQ is a useful screening tool for VLBW infants.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal development
- Developmental pediatrics
- Screening tools
Background:
- Developmental surveillance is crucial for very low birthweight (VLBW) infants.
- The Revised Prescreening Developmental Questionnaire (R-PDQ) is a tool used for developmental screening.
- Accuracy of R-PDQ in VLBW infants requires validation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the accuracy of the R-PDQ in detecting developmental retardation in VLBW infants.
- To compare R-PDQ parent-completed results with standardized developmental assessments.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal developmental surveillance project.
- Seventy surviving VLBW infants studied.
- Comparison of 67 parent-completed R-PDQ questionnaires with Griffiths Developmental Scale at 6 months corrected age.
Main Results:
- The R-PDQ identified all infants with developmental quotient two standard deviations below the mean (100% co-positivity).
- Normal development (DQ > or = 81) was observed in 91% of VLBW infants.
- The R-PDQ showed a 74% co-negativity and 27% positive predictive value for normal development.
Conclusions:
- The R-PDQ effectively identifies VLBW infants with significant developmental delays.
- A high proportion of false positives was noted, linked to lower normal developmental quotients.
- The R-PDQ is confirmed as a valuable screening instrument for VLBW infants.
Background:
Within a longitudinal developmental surveillance project we tested the accuracy of the Revised Prescreening Developmental Questionnaire (R-PDQ) to detect developmental retardation in very low birthweight (VLBW) infants.
Methods:
Seventy surviving VLBW-infants born between July 1992 and December 1993 were re-examined at 6 months corrected age. The parent-completed questionnaires (n = 67) were compared with developmental assessment using the Griffiths Developmental Scale.
Results:
At 6 months corrected age, normal results of the Griffiths Developmental Scale (developmental quotient > or = 81) were found in 61/67 (91%) VLBW-infants and in 45/67 (67%) questionnaires (no or one 'delay'). The parents identified all six infants with psychomotor retardation on the Griffiths Developmental Scale (co-positivity 100%). However, only 45/61 infants with normal development were so identified with the R-PDQ (co-negativity 74%, positive predictive value 27%).
Conclusions:
The R-PDQ discovered all infants whose developmental quotient was two standard deviations below the mean on the Griffiths Developmental Scale. The relatively high proportion of false positive R-PDQ results corresponded to lower developmental quotients within the normal range. Therefore, the R-PDQ provides a useful screening instrument for VLBW-infants.