Early childhood development monitoring during the first thousand days: Investigating the relationship between the developmental surveillance instrument and standardized scales

Early Hum Dev. 2024 Mar:190:105965. doi: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2024.105965. Epub 2024 Feb 2.

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to investigate the relationship between the Developmental Surveillance Instrument -Instrumento de Vigilância do Desenvolvimento (IVD), found in the Child's Booklet Caderneta da Crianca (CC), and standardized scales: Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) and Denver Developmental Screening Test (Denver-II).

Methods: Employing an exploratory observational approach, we adopted a prospective longitudinal design with a quantitative approach. The convenience sample included 83 Brazilian children born between May and August 2019 in a public hospital. Of the total, 45 (54.22 %) were male, and 38 (45.78 %) were female. Developmental screening utilized the IVD, AIMS and Denver-II tests. Comparative analysis between groups employed Mann-Whitney or Kruskal-Wallis tests for numerical variables and chi-square/Fisher tests for categorical variables, with a significance level of 5 % (p < 0.05).

Results: A significant correlation was observed between the IVD and the AIMS and Denver-II tests (p < 0.001) at months 1, 4, and 8.

Conclusion: The presence of a robust correlation between the IVD and the AIMS and Denver-II tests at months 1, 4, and 8 implies that the IVD in the Child's Booklet serves as a reliable and effective indicator for screening infant development during this critical period. Detecting issues early through these methods is crucial to ensure the well-being of children, allowing for appropriate interventions as needed.

Keywords: And health surveillance; Developmental disabilities; Infant development; Neurodevelopmental disorders; Primary healthcare; Public health.

MeSH terms

  • Brazil
  • Child
  • Child Development*
  • Child, Preschool
  • Developmental Disabilities* / diagnosis
  • Developmental Disabilities* / epidemiology
  • Developmental Disabilities* / prevention & control
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Prospective Studies
  • Research Design