The validity and reliability of DDST II and Bayley III in children with language development delay

ABSTRACT

@#Objective: To analyze and compare the performance of the language sectors in the Denver Developmental Screening Test II (DDST II) and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development III (Bayley III) test with that of the Sequenced Language Scale for Infants (SELSI). Methods: Retrospective medical chart reviews including the Bayley III, DDST II and SELSI were conducted for 35 infants suspected to have delayed language development. More than 1 caution or fail in the DDST II-language sector (DLS) and Bayley III-language sector (BLS) score below 7were regarded as delayed language development. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the DLS and BLS were analyzed. The degree of agreement between the Bayley III-receptive language sector (BRLS) or Bayley III-expressive language sector (BELS), DLS and SELSI was assessed by Cohen’s kappa. Pearson’s correlation between the Bayley III and SELSI was performed. Results: The DLS and BELS showed high sensitivity, while the BRLS showed low sensitivity. The BRLS showed very high specificity and the BELS showed high specificity; in contrast, the DLS showed low specificity. Cohen’s kappa for the BRLS and DLS with the SELSI indicated moderate, while the value for the BELS indicated good agreement. The equivalent age as assessed by the BRLS or BELS was significantly associated with that assessed by the SELSI. Conclusion: We propose that the DDST II is a useful screening test to identify infants with delayed language development. But the BLS cannot replace the SELSI in the evaluation of language development.