title: Using parent questionnaires to assess neurodevelopment in former preterm infants: a validation study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Former preterm and very low birthweight infants require close neurodevelopmental surveillance after hospital discharge, but in-person professional testing is resource-intensive and inconvenient for families. A standardised developmental questionnaire completed by parents offers an alternative to in-person testing, but few such questionnaires have been validated. Our aim was to validate the Motor and Social Development (MSD) scale in a sample of former preterm infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 321 visits to a neonatal follow-up clinic. Parents completed the MSD, which measures cognitive, motor and social abilities. Psychologists and physical therapists administered the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, 3rd edition (Bayley-III) cognitive and motor scales.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median (range) gestational age was 28 (23, 34) weeks and birthweight 980 (400, 2700) g. Corrected age at study participation ranged 5-35 months. The mean (standard deviation) Bayley-III motor score was 94 (16), cognitive 98 (16) and MSD 91 (18). Internal consistency of the MSD was moderate to high (Cronbach alpha of 0.65 to 0.88). The MSD was moderately correlated with the Bayley-III motor (Pearson r = 0.49, P < 0.001) and cognitive (r = 0.45, P < 0.001) scales. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.88 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.81, 0.95] for the MSD to detect a low Bayley-III motor score (<70), and 0.88 [95% CI 0.82, 0.95] for a low cognitive score, indicating good discrimination.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The MSD has good internal and concurrent validity, and may be useful for neurodevelopmental assessment of former preterm and very low birthweight infants in clinical and research settings.
authors: Division of Newborn Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA, USA. mandy.belfort@childrens.harvard.edu
authors: Mandy B
authors: MB
authors: Belfort
authors: Eilann
authors: E
authors: Santo
authors: Marie C
authors: MC
authors: McCormick
mesh_terms: D001034:Apgar Score; D001900:Boston; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D008297:Male; D019957:Motor Skills Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
references: J Paediatr Child Health. 2005 Apr;41(4):191-6
references: 15813873
references: Pediatrics. 1996 May;97(5):676-81
references: 8628606
references: Early Hum Dev. 2008 Apr;84(4):237-42
references: 17662542
references: Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2006 May;91(3):F221-5
references: 16632651
references: Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2002 Jan;16(1):33-46
references: 11856453
references: J Paediatr Child Health. 2001 Apr;37(2):125-9
references: 11328465
references: J Pediatr. 1993 Oct;123(4):527-33
references: 7692028
references: JAMA. 1990 Jun 13;263(22):3035-42
references: 2188023
references: Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2010 Apr;164(4):352-6
references: 20368488
references: Pediatrics. 2006 Jun;117(6):2080-92
references: 16740851
references: Dev Med Child Neurol. 2000 Jan;42(1):21-4
references: 10665971
references: J Pediatr. 1999 Sep;135(3):358-62
references: 10484803
references: Dev Med Child Neurol. 2008 Jan;50(1):58-62
references: 18173632