Objective: To develop, standardize, and partly validate a developmental scale for toddlers (age, 1.6 to 3 years) attending anganwadis in India.
Methods: After the development of the 12-item Developmental Assessment Tool for Anganwadis (DATA), its internal consistency, face validity, content validity and construct validity were studied in 100 toddlers in anganwadis and were found to be appropriate. A total of 429 toddlers with a mean (SD) age of 30.9(5.2) months from 36 randomly selected anganwadis were recruited for its standardization. Raw scores were converted to standardized T-scores. Scoring pattern for domains and aggregate developmental scores were formulated.
Results: Except for one item in the original scale, all the items were endorsed by parents suggesting a good content validity. Cronbachs a of 0.86 suggested a high internal consistency. Factor analysis replicated the 2 factor structure explaining 56 %of variance. An aggregated developmental score based on the standardized T-scores demonstrated that a DATA score between 33 and 28 suggested at risk for developing developmental delays. A score of 27 suggested already delayed milestones. A score of 27 to 16 suggested a mild delay, a score of 15 to 5 suggested a moderate delay and 4 suggested a severe delay in development.
Conclusion: DATA is a brief, simple and psychometrically sound measure for use in anganwadis for identifying toddlers at risk or with developmental delays. Differentially identifying toddlers at risk or with developmental delay helps in referring them for appropriate interventions.