Evaluation of the Denver II as Applied to Alaska Native Children

Abstract

Provision of culturally competent early intervention services to young children and their families from diverse backgrounds has become a major concern among pediatric physical therapists. A critical step in providing competent services is to use culturally valid standardized developmental screening instruments. In this study we examined the difference between the Denver II screening results of Alaska Native children and those of the Denver II normative group. One hundred two typically developing Alaska Native children, two weeks to six years of age, were tested using the Denver II. Denver II administration and scoring procedures were followed. A convenience sample was enlisted from well-child clinics at the Alaska Native Medical Center and Women, Infants, and Children clinics in Anchorage, Alaska. Data were analyzed using logistic regression. Analysis showed that some developmental skills emerged at significantly different ages between the two groups. This suggests that the Denver II should be used with caution when screening for developmental delay in Alaska Native children.