Developmental performance of young children aged 1 - 42 months in Mueang Pitsanulok, Thailand: The Bayley-III Screening Survey.

Abstract

The Bayley-III Screening test is one of the most worldwide used standardized assessments for young children aged between 1-42 months, however, it is less well-known in Thailand. This preliminary study aimed to conduct developmental screening using the Bayley-IIIscreening test and to report the cross-sectional developmental performance of infants and toddlers in Mueang Phitsanulok, Thailand during August 2007. The secondary objective was to explore the feasibility of using Bayley-III Screening in Thailand. We assessed 67 Thai children (31 boys and 36 girls; age range 1-42 months old [mean=16 months; SD=9.74, this included bothchronological age and corrected age for prematurity]). The Bayley-III test was administered to assess five subtests of development: cognitive, expressive- and receptive-communication, fine and gross-motor functioning. Summary scores for each subtest were determined using the Bayley-III subtest cut-score information regarding the child’s age, and classified into ‘competent’, ‘emerging’, and ‘at risk’ categories. All 67 children were assessed but three infants were dropped-off during the assessments as they were in an inattentive state. In all five subtests, the majority of those 64 included children were classified as ‘competent’, i.e. as typically developing, while only about 3-20% of the children were categorized as ‘emerging’ risk and 3-7% of the children were found ‘at risk’ to developmental delays. For the latter, 4 children exhibited ‘at risk’ in both cognitive and communication subtests. Based on the Bayley-III identification, the developmental performance of young children in Mueang Phitsanulok during August 2007 was generally at the lowest risk for developmental delays.

Keywords

• Bayley-III screening test
• Developmental performance
• Risk to delay
• Young children