title: Parental compliance after screening social development in toddlers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the prevalence of parents' compliance with follow-up measurements after their child tested positive at a screening to assess problems in social development, as well as to find demographic, screening-related, and child-specific factors associated with parental compliance.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two-stage screening design.
  
  
  METHODS
  Utrecht, the Netherlands.
  
  
  METHODS
  A random population of 31,724 children were screened at well-baby clinics at age 14 to 15 months (screen 1). Three hundred sixty-four children underwent screen 2 (255 children who scored positive at screen 1 [population screening] and 109 children younger than 36 months who were identified by surveillance because of suspected problems in their social development). Main Exposure A 2-stage screening was applied.
  
  
  METHODS
  Compliance with recommendations of having either a second screening (after screen 1) or clinical evaluation (after screen 2).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 370 children who tested positive at screen 1, parents of 255 children (69%) complied with screen 2. Three groups were distinguished after screen 2 (n = 173): early compliance (clinical evaluation within 6 months) (68%), late compliance (clinical evaluation after 6 months) (14%), and noncompliance (no clinical evaluation) (18%). Late compliance and noncompliance were more common in parents of younger children and children who were identified via population screening. Parents of children with either relatively high cognitive skills and/or low scores on screening measures were less inclined to comply.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Study results suggest higher effectiveness of surveillance over population screening. Screening may well be applied as a second step after surveillance to identify children who need further clinical evaluation.
authors.affiliation: Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands. cdietz@umcutrecht.nl
authors.forename: Claudine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dietz
authors.forename: Sophie H N
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Swinkels
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: van Daalen
authors.forename: Herman
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: van Engeland
authors.forename: Jan K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Buitelaar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012919:Social Behavior