title: Norms for developmental milestones using VABS-II and association with anthropometric measures among apparently healthy urban Indian preschool children.
abstract: Assessment of developmental milestones based on locally developed norms is critical for accurate estimate of overall development of a child's cognitive, behavioral, social, and emotional development. A cross-sectional study was done to develop age specific norms for developmental milestones using Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS-II) (Sparrow, Cicchetti, & Balla, 2005) for apparently healthy children from 2 to 5 years from urban Bangalore, India, and to examine its association with anthropometric measures. Mothers (or caregivers) of 412 children participated in the study. Age-specific norms using inferential norming method and adaptive levels for all domains and subdomains were derived. Low adaptive level, also called delayed developmental milestone, was observed in 2.3% of the children, specifically 2.7% in motor and daily living skills and 2.4% in communication skills. When these children were assessed on the existing U.S. norms, there was a significant overestimation of delayed development in socialization and motor skills, whereas delay in communication and daily living skills were underestimated (all p < .01). Multiple linear regression revealed that stunted and underweight children had significantly lower developmental scores for communication and motor skills compared with normal children (β coefficient ranges from 2.6-5.3; all p < .01). In the absence of Indian normative data for VABS-II in preschool children, the prevalence of developmental delay could either be under- or overestimated using Western norms. Thus, locally referenced norms are critical for reliable assessments of development in children. Stunted and underweight children are more likely to have poorer developmental scores compared with healthy children. (PsycINFO Database Record
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, St. John's Research Institute, St. John's National Academy of Health Sciences.
authors.forename: Sumithra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Selvam
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, St. John's Research Institute, St. John's National Academy of Health Sciences.
authors.forename: Tinku
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Division of Mental Health and Neurosciences, St. John's Research Institute, St. John's National Academy of Health Sciences.
authors.forename: Priya
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Shetty
authors.affiliation: Director of Psychometrics, Clinical Assessment, NCS Pearson.
authors.forename: Jianjun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, St. John's Medical College and Hospital, St. John's National Academy of Health Sciences.
authors.forename: Vijaya
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Raman
authors.affiliation: Research and Development, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Ltd.
authors.forename: Deepti
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Khanna
authors.affiliation: Research and Development, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Ltd.
authors.forename: Ruchika
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mehra
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, St. John's Medical College, St. John's National Academy of Health Sciences.
authors.forename: Anura V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Kurpad
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, St. John's Medical College and Hospital, St. John's National Academy of Health Sciences.
authors.forename: Krishnamachari
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Srinivasan
mesh_terms: D000067290:Behavior Rating Scale; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D014481:United States; D014505:Urban Population