Psychometrics of psychosocial behavior items under age 6 years: Evidence from Nebraska, USA.

Because healthy psychosocial development in the first years of life is critical to lifelong well-being, governmental, and nongovernmental organizations are increasingly interested in monitoring psychosocial behaviors among populations of children. In response, the World Health Organization is developing the Global Scales of Early Development Psychosocial Form (GSED PF) to facilitate population-level psychosocial monitoring. Once validated, the GSED PF will be an open-access, caregiver-reported measure of children's psychosocial behaviors that is appropriate for infants and young children. This study examines the psychometric validity evidence from 45 items under consideration for inclusion in the GSED PF. Using data from N = 836 Nebraskan (USA) children aged 180 days to 71 months, results indicate that scores from 44 of the 45 (98%) items exhibit positive evidence of validity and reliability. A bifactor model with one general factor and five specific factors best fit the data, exhibited strong reliability, and acceptable model fit. Criterion associations with known predictors of children's psychosocial behaviors were in the expected direction. These findings suggest that measurement of children's psychosocial behaviors may be feasible, at least in the United States. Data from more culturally and linguistically diverse settings is needed to assess these items for global monitoring.

Debido a que el desarrollo sicosocial en los primeros años de vida es crítico para el bienestar de toda la vida, las organizaciones gubernamentales y no gubernamentales están más y más interesadas en observar vigilantemente las conductas sicosociales en la población infantil. Como respuesta, la Organización Mundial de la Salud está desarrollando el Formulario Sicosocial de las Escalas Globales del Temprano Desarrollo (GSED PF) para facilitar la observación sicosocial alerta al nivel del grupo de población. Una vez que se haya convalidado, el GSED PF será una medida de acceso abierto, que reportará el cuidador, sobre las conductas sicosociales de los niños que son apropiadas para infantes y niños pequeñitos. Este estudio examina la evidencia de la validez sicométrica de 45 puntos bajo consideración para ser incluidos en el GSED PF. Usando datos de N = 836 niños de Nebraska (Estados Unidos), de edad entre 180 días y 71 meses, los resultados indican que los puntajes de 44 de los 45 (98%) puntos muestran evidencia positiva de validez y confiabilidad. Un modelo bifactorial con un factor general y cinco factores específicos, que mejor encaja con los datos, mostró una fuerte confiabilidad y un modelo aceptable que encaja. Las asociaciones de criterio con factores de predicción conocidos acerca de las conductas sicosociales de los niños se encontraban en la dirección esperada. Estos resultados sugieren que la medida de las conductas sicosociales de los niños pudiera ser posible, por lo menos en los Estados Unidos. Se necesitan datos de escenarios más diversos cultural y lingüísticamente para evaluar estos puntos para la estar alerta en la observación global.

The creation of the Global Scales for Early Development (GSED) for children aged 0-3 years: combining subject matter expert judgements with big data.

INTRODUCTION: With the ratification of the Sustainable Development Goals, there is an increased emphasis on early childhood development (ECD) and well-being. The WHO led Global Scales for Early Development (GSED) project aims to provide population and programmatic level measures of ECD for 0-3 years that are valid, reliable and have psychometrically stable performance across geographical, cultural and language contexts. This paper reports on the creation of two measures: (1) the GSED Short Form (GSED-SF)-a caregiver reported measure for population-evaluation-self-administered with no training required and (2) the GSED Long Form (GSED-LF)-a directly administered/observed measure for programmatic evaluation-administered by a trained professional. METHODS: We selected 807 psychometrically best-performing items using a Rasch measurement model from an ECD measurement databank which comprised 66 075 children assessed on 2211 items from 18 ECD measures in 32 countries. From 766 of these items, in-depth subject matter expert judgements were gathered to inform final item selection. Specifically collected were data on (1) conceptual matches between pairs of items originating from different measures, (2) developmental domain(s) measured by each item and (3) perceptions of feasibility of administration of each item in diverse contexts. Prototypes were finalised through a combination of psychometric performance evaluation and expert consensus to optimally identify items. RESULTS: We created the GSED-SF (139 items) and GSED-LF (157 items) for tablet-based and paper-based assessments, with an optimal set of items that fit the Rasch model, met subject matter expert criteria, avoided conceptual overlap, covered multiple domains of child development and were feasible to implement across diverse settings. CONCLUSIONS: State-of-the-art quantitative and qualitative procedures were used to select of theoretically relevant and globally feasible items representing child development for children aged 0-3 years. GSED-SF and GSED-LF will be piloted and validated in children across diverse cultural, demographic, social and language contexts for global use.

Protocol for validation of the Global Scales for Early Development (GSED) for children under 3 years of age in seven countries.

INTRODUCTION: Children's early development is affected by caregiving experiences, with lifelong health and well-being implications. Governments and civil societies need population-based measures to monitor children's early development and ensure that children receive the care needed to thrive. To this end, the WHO developed the Global Scales for Early Development (GSED) to measure children's early development up to 3 years of age. The GSED includes three measures for population and programmatic level measurement: (1) short form (SF) (caregiver report), (2) long form (LF) (direct administration) and (3) psychosocial form (PF) (caregiver report). The primary aim of this protocol is to validate the GSED SF and LF. Secondary aims are to create preliminary reference scores for the GSED SF and LF, validate an adaptive testing algorithm and assess the feasibility and preliminary validity of the GSED PF. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will conduct the validation in seven countries (Bangladesh, Brazil, Côte d'Ivoire, Pakistan, The Netherlands, People's Republic of China, United Republic of Tanzania), varying in geography, language, culture and income through a 1-year prospective design, combining cross-sectional and longitudinal methods with 1248 children per site, stratified by age and sex. The GSED generates an innovative common metric (Developmental Score: D-score) using the Rasch model and a Development for Age Z-score (DAZ). We will evaluate six psychometric properties of the GSED SF and LF: concurrent validity, predictive validity at 6 months, convergent and discriminant validity, and test-retest and inter-rater reliability. We will evaluate measurement invariance by comparing differential item functioning and differential test functioning across sites. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study has received ethical approval from the WHO (protocol GSED validation 004583 20.04.2020) and approval in each site. Study results will be disseminated through webinars and publications from WHO, international organisations, academic journals and conference proceedings. REGISTRATION DETAILS: Open Science Framework https://osf.io/ on 19 November 2021 (DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/KX5T7; identifier: osf-registrations-kx5t7-v1).

Training packages for the use of child development tools in low/middle-income countries: a review.

BACKGROUND: We are now moving beyond the focus of 'child survival' to an era which promotes children thriving and developing rather than simply 'surviving'. In doing so, we are becoming more aware of the large variation of child development screening tools available globally, but in particular, those in low/middle-income countries (LMICs). METHODS: This narrative review identifies 24 child development tools used in LMICs. We aimed to identify information on training accessibility and training design, assessment methods and cost of training. For those tools with no training information identified or for any tools identified as providing online training, the tool author was contacted individually to obtain information on the features of the tool's training package. RESULTS: Information on training features was identified for 18 tools. All of the tools are identified as screening tools with some also identified as surveillance or assessment tools. The training material for the majority of the tools was not readily accessible and most training packages were proprietary and only available with a face-to-face training design. Other training options included a user manual, training videos or training through an online platform. CONCLUSIONS: Training is a key factor when selecting a child development screening or surveillance tool particularly in a low-income or middle-income setting where funds may be limited. The accessibility of training can have a key impact on the implementation and utilisation of tools desperately needed for use in LMICs.