RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: To compare 3 questionnaires used to evaluate early developmental problems, emotional disturbances and competence in 18-month-old infants. STUDY DESIGN: A follow-up study with parents of infants 8 to 36 months of age who responded to a developmental questionnaire. METHODS: Fifty infants (18 months of age) were evaluated through 3 questionnaires: (1) the Brief Infant and Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (BITSEA), (2) the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and (3) the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories (MCDI). RESULTS: The BITSEA-questionnaire results (total problem scores) had a strong correlation with the most CBCL subscales and the MCDI (total scores) and gave more precise information concerning the infants' developmental problems. CONCLUSIONS: The BITSEA questionnaire identifies developmental problems in the early stages and screens infants' social-emotional competence.