Early childhood development monitoring during the first thousand days: Investigating the relationship between the developmental surveillance instrument and standardized scales

Abstract

ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate the relationship between the Developmental Surveillance Instrument –Instrumento de Vigilância do Desenvolvimento (IVD), found in the Child's Booklet Caderneta da Crianca (CC), and standardized scales: Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) and Denver Developmental Screening Test (Denver-II). MethodsEmploying an exploratory observational approach, we adopted a prospective longitudinal design with a quantitative approach. The convenience sample included 83 Brazilian children born between May and August 2019 in a public hospital. Of the total, 45 (54.22 %) were male, and 38 (45.78 %) were female. Developmental screening utilized the IVD, AIMS and Denver-II tests. Comparative analysis between groups employed Mann–Whitney or Kruskal–Wallis tests for numerical variables and chi-square/Fisher tests for categorical variables, with a significance level of 5 % (p < 0.05). ResultsA significant correlation was observed between the IVD and the AIMS and Denver-II tests (p < 0.001) at months 1, 4, and 8. ConclusionThe presence of a robust correlation between the IVD and the AIMS and Denver-II tests at months 1, 4, and 8 implies that the IVD in the Child's Booklet serves as a reliable and effective indicator for screening infant development during this critical period. Detecting issues early through these methods is crucial to ensure the well-being of children, allowing for appropriate interventions as needed.