Psychometric profile of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires, Japanese translation.

BACKGROUND: This study assessed the psychometric profile of 10 questionnaires (every 6 months, from 6 to 60 months) from the Japanese translation of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires, third edition (J-ASQ-3). METHODS: Data from 439 children in a birth cohort were used to identify the J-ASQ-3 score distribution, establish cut-off scores, and calculate the instrument's internal consistency. Data were also collected from 491 outpatients to examine J-ASQ-3 test-retest reliability and concurrent validity, which was examined using the Kyoto Scale of Psychological Development (KSPD) and the Japanese version of the Denver Developmental Screening Test II (J-Denver II). Both the original and the alternative screening criteria of the ASQ-3 were used (failure in at least one and at least two domains, respectively). RESULTS: Cronbach's alpha for each J-ASQ-3 subscale on each questionnaire ranged from 0.45 to 0.89. Test-retest reliability was >0.75 for the subscales on almost all questionnaires. Concurrent validity was also adequate. In comparison with the screening results of the KSPD, the overall sensitivity and specificity were 96.0% and 48.8%, respectively, when the ASQ-3 original criterion was used, and 92.1% and 74.9%, respectively, when the alternative criterion was used. In comparison with the screening results of the J-Denver II, the overall sensitivity and specificity were 75.6% and 74.7%, respectively, when the ASQ-3 original criterion was used, and 56.3% and 93.0%, respectively, when the alternative criterion was used. CONCLUSIONS: This study quantified the psychometric profiles of the Japanese translations of 10 ASQ-3 questionnaires. We demonstrated the validity of the J-ASQ-3 and determined new cut-off scores. Further studies with larger samples from a greater range of locations are required to clarify the suitability of this tool for all Japanese children.

Comparison of the Kyoto Scale of Psychological Development 2001 with the parent-rated Kinder Infant Development Scale (KIDS).

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to extend our understanding of the Kyoto Scale of Psychological Development (KSPD) by comparison with a parent-rated scale, the Kinder Infant Development Scale (KIDS). METHODS: The participants of this study were 229 children aged 0-4, who were referred to the Developmental Evaluation Center of the National Center for Child Health and Development, due to a suspected developmental disorder/delay. The participants were divided into subgroups, depending on age and overall DQ. For each group separately, correlation analyses were conducted between the Developmental Quotient (DQ) of each KSPD domain and DQ of each KIDS subscale. RESULTS: For high DQ group, in all ages, the KSPD Postural-Motor (P-M) domain DQ demonstrated a high correlation with the KIDS Physical-Motor DQ, and at young ages, it was also found to be moderately or strongly associated with the KIDS Manipulation DQ. For high DQ group, the KSPD Cognitive-Adaptive (C-A) domain DQ was most consistently related to the KIDS Manipulation DQ, and was also moderately correlated with the KIDS Physical-Motor DQ, Receptive Language DQ, Social Relationship with Adults DQ, Discipline DQ, and Feeding DQ, depending on age. For high DQ group, the KSPD Language-Social (L-S) DQ most consistently showed a moderate or high correlation with the KIDS Receptive Language DQ and the Manipulation DQ, and also related to Physical-Motor DQ, Expressive Language DQ, Language Conception DQ, Social Relationship with Adults DQ, and Social Relationship with Children DQ for some age groups. The low DQ group demonstrated stronger relationships on many of the pairs of the DQ of a KSPD subdomain and the DQ of a KIDS subscale, regardless of the type of subdomains and subscales. CONCLUSIONS: For high DQ group, the KSPD P-M domain was consistently related to parent-reported physical/motor development, the C-A domain primarily reflected a child's fine motor skills and his/her ability to understand and follow verbal instructions provided by adults, while the L-S domain was associated with parent-reported language ability. For low DQ group, the effect of global delay increased overall correlations between each domain and subscale. Further studies are necessary to replicate the findings in a larger sample including typical children.

Gross motor function and general development of babies born after assisted reproductive technology.

AIM: To elucidate the gross motor function and general development of babies born after assisted reproductive technology (ART). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study subjects comprised 238 babies born after ART and 365 babies as the control. Multiple births, premature and low birth weight babies were excluded. Questionnaires were distributed to mothers and gross motor function and general development were evaluated according to the Ability for Basic Movement Scale for Children (ABMS-C) and Kinder Infant Development Scale (KIDS), respectively. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in gross motor function according to the ABMS-C between the two groups at one, three, six, nine and 12 months of age. The KIDS scores on subscales of expressive language at three months, manipulation at nine months and the total developmental quotient, and subscales of manipulation, receptive language and social relationships with children at 12 months were significantly higher in the ART than in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant difference in gross motor function up to 12 months of age between the ART and control groups. However, the total developmental quotient and scores on linguistic and communication capacity of children at 12 months of age were significantly higher in the ART group. These results suggested that ART has no adverse effects on intellectual function, at least during early infancy.

[Summary of the Profiles of 22 Children with Traumatic Brain Injury Tacted with the Japanese Version of the WISC-IV].

The Japanese version of the Wechsler intelligence scale for children-fourth edition (WISC-IV) is often used to assess cognitive dysfunction in children with traumatic brain injury (TBI). To reveal the characteristics of cognitive impairment in pediatric TBI, we retrospectively analyzed the results of 22 children with TBI on the WISC-IV that was conducted at the Developmental Evaluation Center of the National Center for Child Health and Development over three years from July 2011 to July 2014. It has been hypothesized that the WISC-IV is limited for revealing neuropsychological dysfunction after traumatic brain injury.