Psychometric Properties of the Canadian Little Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire for Preschool Children

ABSTRACT

Aims: Test the psychometric properties and cut-off scores for the Canadian Little Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (Little DCDQ), which screens for coordination difficulties in children aged 3 to 4 years. Methods: Parents of children with typical development (n = 108) and children at risk for motor problems (n = 245) completed the questionnaire. A subgroup (n = 119) of children was tested with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (MABC-2) and the Beery–Buktenica Developmental Test of visual-motor integration (VMI) to determine motor impairment (MI). Results: Test-retest reliability (r = 0.956, p < .001) and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.94) were high. Construct validity was supported by a factor analysis and significant difference in scores of children who were typically developing and were at risk. Concurrent validity was evaluated for the children who received standardized motor testing, with significant difference between children with and without MI. Discriminant function analysis showed that all 15 items were able to distinguish the two groups. The questionnaire correlated well with the MABC-2 and VMI. Validity as a screening tool was assessed using logistic regression modeling (X²(5) = 25.87, p < .001) and receiver operating curves, establishing optimal cut-off values with adequate sensitivity. Conclusions: The Little DCDQ is a reliable, valid instrument for early identification of children with motor difficulties.     

Rating Scale Analysis and Psychometric Properties of the Caregiver Self-Efficacy Scale for Transfers

ABSTRACT

Parents and caregivers faced with the challenges of transferring children with disability are at risk of musculoskeletal injuries and/or emotional stress. The Caregiver Self-Efficacy Scale for Transfers (CSEST) is a 14-item questionnaire that measures self-efficacy for transferring under common conditions. The CSEST yields reliable data and valid inferences; however, its rating scale structure has not been evaluated for utility. The aims of this study were to evaluate the category response structure of the CSEST, test the utility of a revised rating scale structure, and confirm its psychometric properties. The Rasch Measurement Model was used for all analyses. Subjects included 175 adult caregivers recruited from multiple communities. Results confirm that a revised five-category rating scale structure yields reliable data and valid inferences. Given the relationship between self-efficacy and risk of physical and/or emotional stress, measuring parental self-efficacy for transfers is a proactive process in rehabilitation.     

Findings and Implications of Developmental Screening for High-Risk Children Referred to a Tertiary Developmental Disability Center

IntroductionThe primary goal of this article is to describe an intake process and results of screening for developmental and autism spectrum disorders in children referred to a tertiary center. A secondary analysis of abnormal screening results, demographic variables, and parental concerns of autism was conducted, along with a correlation analysis between developmental and autism-specific screening tools.MethodsA total of 379 children younger than 6 years were “prescreened” with the Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3 and the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers or the Social Communication Questionnaire. Medical records were reviewed to identify demographic variables and parental primary concerns.ResultsIn approximately 11% of participants who screened positive for autism, no parental concerns of autism were present. Medium effect size correlations were found between the failed autism screening tools and delays in two domains on the Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3.DiscussionClinical implications are addressed concerning diligent use of developmental and autism-specific rating scales to identify children at risk.     

Reliability of the Functional Mobility Scale for Children with Cerebral Palsy

ABSTRACT

This study examined inter-rater reliability of the Functional Mobility Scale (FMS) for children with cerebral palsy (CP) and the presence of rater bias. A consecutive sample of 118 children with CP, 2–18 years old (mean 10.3 years, SD 3.6), was recruited from a hospital setting. Children were classified using the gross motor function classification system (GMFCS) with 13 in Level I, 49 in Level II, 44 in Level III, and 12 in Level IV. Each child was independently scored on the FMS by two raters. Raters were randomly assigned from a sample of 44 orthopaedic surgeons, hospital-based physiotherapists, and community-based physiotherapists. Quadratic weighted kappa coefficients for mobility ratings varied from 0.86 to 0.92 for the three distances, indicating substantial chance corrected agreement. Levels of agreement were similar when administering the scale in person and by telephone, suggesting that the FMS can be administered by either method. There was a tendency for surgeons to rate mobility higher than physiotherapists, however, only one of the comparisons was statistically significant. The FMS is a reliable tool that can be used by clinicians to assess mobility in children with CP.     

中国大陆学习困难儿童韦氏智力测验对照研究的Meta分析

目的 评估中国学习困难和正常儿童韦氏儿童智力量表(WISC)测量的差异。方法 检索PubMed、MD Consult、中图公司免费外文期刊整合库（cnpLINKer）、中国知网和万方生物医学期刊数据库,检索时间均从建库至2012年5月。获得中国学习困难和正常儿童WISC测量的对照研究,WISC中文版本为北京师范大学版（WISC-CR）或湖南医科大学版（C-WISC）。提取总智商（FIQ）、言语智商（VIQ）和操作智商（PIQ）。应用RevMan 5.0软件进行Meta分析,根据异质性结果选择相应的效应模型分析,并进行亚组分析。结果 23篇文献进入Meta分析,研究实施地均为中国大陆;10篇文献采用WISC-CR,13篇文献采用C-WISC;12篇文献研究现场为医院门诊或儿童保健门诊,对照组基本为来院智力检测的正常儿童;13篇文献研究现场为学校,对照组来自同校或同班同学。①FIQ、VIQ和PIQ异质性检验提示具显著异质性,均采用随机效应模型分析。Meta分析结果显示,FIQ、VIQ和PIQ的WMD分别为-16.23（95％CI:-18.20~-14.25）、-18.90(95%CI:-21.04~-16.77)和-11.92(95%CI:-13.90~-9.94);学习困难组均显著低于对照组（P均<0.000 01）。②对纳入文献的依据诊断方法、研究现场、WISC版本行异质性原因分析,结果显示不能消除异质性。③对VIQ和PIQ各分项进行亚组分析,结果显示VIQ的6个分项（常识、类同、算数、词汇、理解、数字广度）和PIQ的5个分项（填图、排列、积木、拼图、译码）的文献间均具显著异质性,采用随机效应模型分析。Meta分析结果显示,学习困难组VIQ和PIQ各分项得分均显著低于对照组（P均<0.001）。结论 中国大陆学习困难儿童FIQ、VIQ和PIQ低于正常儿童,VIQ的延迟发展更明显。VIQ和PIQ各分项中以常识、类同、积木和译码的延迟发展更明显。     

The Short Attachment to Pets Scale (SAPS) for Children and Young People: Development,Psychometric Qualities and Demographic and Health Associations

This study describes the development of the SAPS and investigates its reliability and validity within the context of the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children Survey (HBSC) which gathered data on representative samples of school pupils aged 11, 13 and 15 in Scotland and England. In the development of SAPS, following a comprehensive review of the literature, two small-scale empirical studies were carried out (one qualitative and one quantitative). Regarding the validation process, the reliability and validity of the SAPS was assessed in a sub-sample (n?=?7159) of pupils who completed the HBSC survey and were identified as owning pets. Factor analysis resulted in a one-factor solution (explaining 67.78 % of the variance); Cronbach’s alpha for the scale was 0.894. The item-total correlation ranged from 0.368 to 0.784. A linear model showed that attachment to pets was associated with age (being 11 or 13 years old), being a girl, white ethnicity, and considering a pet as one’s own. SAPS scores were also positively associated with quality of life. The total variance in SAPS explained by these variables was 15.7 %. Effect sizes of associations were medium (age, considering a pet as one’s own) and small (ethnicity, age, gender, quality of life). The study concludes that SAPS is a coherent and psychometrically sound measure. It is associated with a range of demographic variables and quality of life, which confirms its utility as a new succinct measure of children’s and young people’s attachment to pets for use in health and social science research.     

The Role of Medicine for Children with Developmental Disabilities*

Abstract The trend of the delivery of health care services for developmentally disabled children, especially those with congenital anomalies, is described. The importance of how the organization of community health services and the role of medicine and medical facilities mesh together in Japan is emphasized.     

Chronic Childhood Stress: Psychometric Properties of the Chronic Stress Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (CSQ-CA) in Three Independent Samples

Stress in children and adolescents is common and related to many developmental problems. However, most studies have made no distinction between temporary or chronic stress due to the lack of a suitable questionnaire. This study tested the factor structure, reliability and validity of the 17-item self-report Chronic Stress Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (CSQ-CA) in three samples, that is, 717 adolescents from the general population, 161 adolescents of parents with a severe chronic medical condition (CMC) like multiple sclerosis, and 113 adolescents with healthy parents. Results showed that a one-factor solution provided a reasonable fit overall. Reliability was good (α = .80 to .88). Convergent validity was supported by positive relations between total stress scores and internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors, experience of daily hassles, and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and negative relations with quality of life, happiness, mindfulness, self-esteem, and coping skills. Adolescents from all samples, who themselves had a light CMC like asthma, showed higher chronic stress levels than those without a CMC. In line, adolescents of parents with a severe CMC reported more chronic stress than those of healthy parents, and adolescents with a chronic illness themselves and a parent with a chronic illness, showed the highest scores across the two family types. Overall, this study presents good psychometric properties of the first available measure of chronic stress in children and adolescents.     

Predictive value of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development on development of very preterm/very low birth weight children: A meta-analysis

Background and aims

The Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID) is the most widely used measure to assess neurodevelopment of very preterm (gestational age ≤ 32 weeks) and very low birth weight (VLBW, ≤ 1500 g) infants in the first three years of life. This meta-analysis determines the predictive value of the Mental Developmental Index (MDI) and the Psychomotor Developmental Index (PDI)/Motor Composite, collectively referred to as Bayley motor scale, of the BSID-I, -II and Bayley-III for later cognitive and motor functioning in very preterm/VLBW children.

Methods

Cochrane Library, PubMed, PsychINFO and CINAHL were searched for English-language peer-reviewed studies published before March 2013. Studies were included if they reported odds ratios or correlations between the MDI or Bayley motor scale scores obtained in the first three years of life, and standardized cognitive or motor assessment obtained later in life in very preterm/VLBW children. Meta-analytic methods were applied to aggregate available data.

Results

A total of 16 studies met inclusion criteria. Across 14 studies (n = 1330 children), MDI scores were strongly predictive for later cognitive functioning, r = 0.61 (95%CI: 0.57–0.64), explained variance 37%, p < .001. The relationship between MDI scores and later cognitive function was not mediated by birth weight (p = .56), gestational age (p = .70), and time interval between assessments (p = .55). Across five studies (n = 555 children), Bayley motor scale scores were moderately predictive for later motor function, r = 0.34 (95%CI: 0.26–0.42), explained variance 12%, p < .001.

Conclusions

In very preterm/VLBW children, MDI scores explain 37% of the variance in later cognitive functioning, whereas Bayley motor scale scores explain 12% of later motor function. Thus a large proportion of the variance remains unexplained, underlining the importance of enhancing prediction of developmental delay in very preterm children.     

The Obsessive Compulsive Scale of the Child Behavior Checklist predicts obsessive-compulsive disorder: a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine a score on the Obsessive Compulsive Scale (OCS) from the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) to screen for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in children and to rigorously test the specificity and sensitivity of a single cutpoint. METHODS: A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was applied to data from 61 patients with clinically determined OCD, 64 clinical controls and 73 general population controls to determine the best sum score on the CBCL-OCS to predict confirmed OCD in children. Using the ROC-determined cutoff, this score was applied to a national sample of CBCL data from 2460 singleton children ages 4-18 and to 20,016 children ages 7-18 from three large general population twin samples to determine the estimated prevalence in the general population. RESULTS: Using a CBCL-OCS score of 5 demonstrated an area under the curve (AUC) of .88 with high sensitivity (92%) and moderate specificity (67%) compared to clinical controls. Compared to the general population controls, the AUC was .96 with high sensitivity (92%) and specificity (89%). In the twin samples, the number of participants with CBCL-OCS scores above this cutpoint was 2.3-7.1%. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the OCS of the CBCL may provide a highly effective way to screen for childhood OCD, and that the prevalence of childhood OCD may have been underestimated, thus prompting the need for further research into screening children for this condition.     

The Life Course Model Web site: an online transition-focused resource for the spina bifida community

The transition of youth with spina bifida into adulthood is an exciting opportunity to branch out, explore and participate in community, and reach higher levels of independence. The Life Course Model Web site is a resource designed to help in this process. This article describes how this tool can help individuals with spina bifida, parents, teachers, and caregivers evaluate this process and provide assistance where necessary.