SCREENING OF DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS IN CHILDREN BY USING THE STANDARDIZED QUESTIONNAIRES "AGES & STAGES QUESTIONNAIRES" (ASQ-3)
Abstract
Introduction/Aim: By introducing a questionnaire for screening developmental disabilities in early childhood, developmental delay would be detected in time thus enabling prompt intervention. The standardized questionnaire "Ages and Stages Questionnaire" (ASQ-3) has been used for more than 30 years all over the world, and in Serbia it was standardized under the name "Uzrasti i razvoj deteta" (URD). The aim of our study was to identify children with developmental disabilities in early childhood using the standardized ASQ-3 questionnaire in primary pediatric practice, so that the appropriate treatment would be started on time.
Methods: This study included 31 subjects aged 9-36 months. The subjects were divided into age groups and the standardized ASQ-3 questionnaire was used for each child. The obtained data were analyzed with the help of a computer program for statistical analysis of data (SPSS, version 20), and the methods of descriptive statistics were used.
Results: The obtained results showed that 71% of the subjects suffered from developmental disorders, which demanded additional learning activities or further diagnostics. In 45.2% of the subjects, deviations from normal development were discovered in at least one of the examined areas, which demanded additional learning activities and further monitoring of children (that is, they had results in the grey zone), and in 25.8% of the subjects, deviations demanded consultations with experts for further assessment and treatment (that is, they had results in the black zone).
Conclusion: The introduction of standardized ASQ-3 questionnaires as a mandatory clinical instrument in primary pediatric practice would enable early recognition of children with deviations from normative development, when early stimulation of development would begin, and the need for re-evaluation, supplementary diagnostics and early intervention support would be established.
References
1. Smith LE, Akai CE, Klerman LV, Keltner BR; Centers for the Prevention of Child Neglect. What mothers don't know and doctors don't say: Detecting early developmental delays. Infant Ment Health J. 2010 Jul;31(4):455-466. doi: 10.1002/imhj.20266. PMID: 28543082.
2. Lozanović D., Radivojević D. Podrška uzajamnom odnosu porodice i deteta u ranom detinjstvu - vodič za zdravstvene radnike i saradnike u primarnoj zdravstvenoj zaštiti. Beograd, Udruženje pedijatara Srbije, 2017, str. 41-50
3. Bowe AK, Hourihane J, Staines A, Murray DM. The predictive value of the ages and stages questionnaire in late infancy for low average cognitive ability at age 5. Acta Paediatr. 2022 Jun;111(6):1194-1200. doi: 10.1111/apa.16309. Epub 2022 Mar 3. PMID: 35202483; PMCID: PMC9314849.
4. Romero Otalvaro AM, Grañana N, Gaeto N, Torres MLÁ, Zamblera MN, Vasconez MA, Misenta C, Rouvier ME, Squires J. ASQ-3: Validation of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire for the detection of neurodevelopmental disorders in Argentine children. Arch Argent Pediatr. 2018 Feb 1;116(1):7-13. English, Spanish. doi: 10.5546/aap.2018.eng.7.
5. Lozanović D., Milidrag M., Bogdanović R., Sokal-Jovanović Lj., Videnović M., Stepanović-Ilić I. Zašto i kada je važna primena standardizovanih upitnika "Ages & Stages Questionnaires" (ASQ-3) - ''Uzrasti i razvoj deteta'', za procenu i praćenje razvoja dece u ranom detinjstvu? Timočki medicinski glasnik, 2021, vol. 46, br. 3, str. 129-131.
6. Sokal-Jovanović, Lj., Milidrag, M., Lozanović, D. Tim Projekta 'Standardizacija upitnika Ages & Stages-3/Uzrasti i razvoj deteta' - stručno-metodološko uputstvo za primenu upitnika 'Uzrasti i razvoj deteta'. Dostupno na: www.udruzenjepedijatara.rs. preuzeto 01.05.2023.
7. American Academy of Pediatrics; Committee on Childrenwith Disabilities. Developmental surveillance and screening ofinfants and young children. Pediatrics. 2001;108:192-6.
8. Garg A, Dworkin PH. Applying surveillance and screening to family psychosocial issues: implications for the medical home.J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2011;32:418-26.
9. Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health C. Recommendations on screening for developmental delay. CMAJ. 2016;188(8):579–87.
10. Singh A. Parent-completed developmental screening: validity,reliability and utility of the 6-year Ages and Stages Question-naire. Doctoral dissertation. University of Oregon; 2015.27.
11. Singh A, Squires J, Yeh CJ, Heo KH, Bian H. Validity and reliabil-ity of the developmental assessment screening scale. J FamilyMed Prim Care. 2016;5:124-8.
12. Singh A, Yeh CJ, Boone Blanchard S. Ages and Stages Questionnaire: a global screening scale. Bol Med Hosp Infant Mex. 2017 Jan-Feb;74(1):5-12. doi: 10.1016/j.bmhimx.2016.07.008. Epub 2017 Jan 30. PMID: 29364814.