LAUSR

AimTo design and validate Hindi-language parent self-report developmental screening questionnaires for 9-month and 18-month-old Indian children.DesignCross-sectional studySettingTertiary-care pediatric hospital from April 2014 to March 2016ParticipantsIn each age group (9-month and 18-month), 45 children were enrolled for designing of questionnaires (30 for obtaining parental observations of current development and 15 for pre-testing). For validation of tool, 100 children (60 low risk and 40 high risk) were enrolled in each age group.MethodsFor designing, observations regarding current developmental milestones were obtained from parents and a list of all enumerated milestones was prepared. After detailed discussion by a team of developmental pediatricians, pediatric resident, clinical psychologist and language specialist, milestones were chosen for drafting of questionnaires. In each age group, drafts were pre-tested and required modifications were done. The final questionnaires contained 20 items each to be scored on a Likert scale (total score ranging from 20 to 60, a lower score indicating a higher risk of developmental delay). These questionnaires were validated against Developmental Assessment Scale for Indian Infants (DASII), a gold standard instrument.ResultsOn ROC analysis, the 9-month and 18-month screening tool had area under curve of 0.988 and 0.953, respectively, for detecting developmental delay. Score ≤50 on the 9-months questionnaire had sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 87.2%. Score ≤49 on the 18-months questionnaire had sensitivity of 91.4% and specificity of 88.7%.ConclusionsThe new questionnaires have a promising role in developmental screening of children at the time of routine immunizations in our country.