[New mental development screening test for use in health examinations of infants].
OBJECTIVE
This study is designed to produce a new mental development screening test with predictive validity for future developmental disorders.


METHODS
1. The items of mental development screening test were selected provisionally, and the results of the items were stored in the 7 months, 10 months, 1 year, 1 year and 6 months of health examinations in Suzaka city, Nagano Prefecture. 2. All the tested infants were prospectively followed until 5 years of age (the middle year of day nurseries or kindergartens), when their conditions were diagnosed for developmental disorders (mental retardation, pervasive developmental disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). 3. The relation between 1. and 2. was analyzed.


RESULTS
1. Acceptable levels for items of the mental development screening test were seen in 90% of the infants, except for anxiety with unfamiliar faces at 7 months, finger pointing at 1 year, correct picture recognition response at 1 year and 6 months, etc. 2. The items with high significance levels for chi 2 test and high sensitivity were: 4 items at 7 months of age such as anxiety with unfamiliar faces, sitting ability, parachute reaction, and others; 5 items at 10 months such as anxiety with unfamiliar faces, creeping ability, turning around and looking when called; 8 items at 1 year such as use of words with meaning, auditory imitation, finger pointing; 7 items at 1 year and 6 months such as correct picture recognition response, turning around and looking when called, auditory imitation. 3. The items effective for a screening test were selected based on clinical experience and on the following criteria: public health nurses can conveniently use them at the site of primary screening, and that the items can determine the possibility of future developmental disorders. 4. The cut off points were set for high specificity and sensitivity on scale points to which all the selected items were synthesized, and by which follow up rates were within appropriate ranges.


CONCLUSIONS
1. Items of mental development screening test with predictive validity for future developmental disorders were selected. 2. This study showed that items related to interpersonal relationships are highly important. 3. Possibility of future developmental disorder can be better determined by using cut off points on a scale which utilizes all the selected items, rather than by using individual items separately.
Yoshikawa
R
R
Mental Health & Welfare Center of Nagano Prefecture.
Hizume
M
M
Yamamoto
K
K
Fujita
T
T
D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011581:Psychological Tests