INVESTIGATION OF THE TEST CHARACTERISTICS OF TWO SCREENING TOOLS IN COMPARISON TO A GOLD STANDARD ASSESSMENT TO DETECT DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY: A PILOT STUDY

Abstract

There is minimal information available regarding test characteristics of the Rourke and the NDDS, two tools commonly used to screen for developmental delay. The objectives are to (a) generate preliminary descriptive data about the population and outcomes of interest, (b) determine test characteristics of the tools compared to the gold standard assessment, BSITD-III. Thirty-six month old children at high risk of developmental delay were recruited from the Perinatal Follow-up Program at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, NS. The Rourke and NDDS results were obtained via parental report, the BSITD-III via clinical assessment. Results suggest that both tools may possess appropriate test characteristics to screen for developmental delay. Both perform more accurately when the criterion for delay is extended to two flagged areas of concern on the assessment tools. In conclusion, both tools appear to be sensitive to detecting developmental delay. Further investigation via a full scale study is warranted.