Identifying 4-month-old infants at risk in community screening.
OBJECTIVE
To validate a 2-step infant developmental screening protocol administered by nonphysician health professionals.


METHODS
The Parent Concerns Survey and the Meade Movement Checklist (MMCL) were administered during 5 community clinics. Infant scores at 4 months were compared with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development II and Movement Assessment of Infants at 6 months and to the Ages and Stages Questionnaires at 8 months.


RESULTS
Parents identified significantly more concerns on the Parent Concerns Survey (x2 = 6.43, p = 0.011) than parents not attending clinics. The correlation between infant MMCL scores at 4 months and Movement Assessment of Infants was r = 0.58 (p = 0.01) and r = -0.48 (p = 0.01) with Bayley Scales of Infant Development II scores at 6 months. The MMCL demonstrated 87.5% sensitivity, 91.4% specificity, and 70% positive predictive value.


CONCLUSIONS
Combining parent concerns and observational screening effectively identified infants for further evaluation. This 2-step screening by nonphysician health professionals provides a valid, new perspective for screening young infants.
Meade
Vickie A
VA
Kosrae Department of Education, Tofol, Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia. vickie@vickiemeade.com
Sweeney
Jane K
JK
Chandler
Lynette S
LS
Woodward
Barbara J
BJ
D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D015997:Neonatal Screening; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011361:Professional Competence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires