Validity of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires in Term and Preterm Infants

BACKGROUND: This study assessed the concurrent validity of the parent-completed developmental screening measure Ages and Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition (ASQ-3) compared with the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III) in children born term, late preterm, or extremely preterm at 8, 18, or 30 months of corrected gestational ages (CGA). METHODS: Data were collected from 306 term and preterm children ages 8, 18, and 30 months’ CGA recruited from an ambulatory wellchild clinic in Santiago, Chile. Parents completed the ASQ-3 in their homes, and afterward a trained professional administered the BayleyIII in a clinic setting. On the ASQ-3, the presence of any domain screened ,2 SDs below the mean area score was considered a positive screen (indicating failure or delay). A Bayley-III score less than #1 SD indicated mild or severe delay. RESULTS: ASQ-3 showed adequate psychometric properties (75% sensitivity and 81% specificity) and modest agreement with the Bayley-III (r = 0.56). Sensitivity, specificity, and correlations between measures improved with testing age and in children who were born extremely preterm. CONCLUSIONS: Considering its psychometric properties, the ASQ-3 can be recommended for routine use in screening low-risk children at 8, 18, and 30 months’ CGA and is advisable to be included in follow-up programs for children with biological risk factors such as those born preterm. Pediatrics 2013;131:e1468–e1474 AUTHORS: Luisa Schonhaut, MD, MPH,a Iván Armijo, BSc,b Marianne Schönstedt, BSc,a Jorge Alvarez, MD,a and Miguel Cordero, MScc aClínica Alemana, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile; bUniversidad Gabriela Mistral, Santiago, Chile; and cMinistry of Health, Santiago, Chile