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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Audra L. Gollenberg, BS, Department of Public Health, University of Massachusetts-Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences, 408 Arnold House 715 North Pleasant St., Amherst, MA 01003, 413-545-2861, abaroni@schoolph.umass.edu, Courtney D. Lynch, PhD, MPH, Division of Epidemiolgy, Statistics, and Prevention Research, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; National Institutes of Health; Department of Health and Human Services, 6100 Executive Blvd. Room 7B03, Bethesda, MD 20892, Leila W. Jackson, PhD, MPH, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Ave, Case School of Medicine, WG-37, Cleveland, OH 44106-4945, Bridget M. McGuinness, MS, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo, 276 Farber Hall, Buffalo, NY 14214, and Michael Msall, MD, Department of Pediatrics, University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital, 5841 S. Maryland Ave. MC 0900, Chicago, IL 60637.

Background: Approximately 12-19% of infants experience some form of developmental delays or disabilities. This study assessed the concurrent validity of the parent-completed Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQs) compared to Bayley Scales of Infant Development II (BSID II) among children aged 12 and 24 months.

Methods: Data were collected from 53 infants and mothers who participated in the New York State Angler Cohort Child Development Study (1998-2002). Parents completed the ASQs periodically from 4-24 months of age to assess communication, socialization, problem-solving ability, and fine and gross motor control. The BSID II was administered by a child psychologist at 12 and 24-month home visits for cognitive and psychomotor assessment. ASQs were scored using age-specific norms of <2 standard deviations below the mean of any domain to define failure. BSID II failure was defined by two cutpoints: a score of <70 for severe developmental delay and <85 for mild delay.

Results: Seven percent and 5% of infants were considered severely developmentally delayed at 12 and 24 months, respectively, based on the BSID II. The ASQ had a sensitivity of 50% and specificity of 100% at 12 months (n=27) and a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 87% at 24 months (n=40) for severely delayed status.

Conclusion: Results suggest the ASQs provide a simple, valid, and cost-effective method for clinicians and field-based researchers to reduce the number of standardized assessments required to identify infants who are developmentally delayed at 24 months of age.

Learning Objectives:

• List the prevalence of developmental disability and/or developmental delay among young children in the United States.
• Describe the utility and purpose of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires.
• Discuss the conditions in which the ASQs are most appropriate for developmental screening.

Keywords: Child Health, Infant Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation