Identification of prognostic markers of developmental delay in 4-year-olds

Abstract

The aim of the study was to identify the predictive markers of developmental delay (DD) in 4-year-olds to elaborate a reliable, valid and easy to use scale of prediction of the developmental vector (Norm, DD). A sample of 4-year-old children attending kindergartens consisted of 575 children of Norm group and 53 children of DD group. A system of test tasks consisting of 236 points was used for the assessment of social, cognitive and motor development of children. Of these, 20 points were selected as a result of the consistent application of factor and discriminant analysis, which best divided Norm and DD groups. These points were grouped into scales - predictive markers (PM) of DD, presented in descending order of their contribution to the prediction: 'Logical reasoning', 'Motor skills', 'General awareness”. High accuracy of prediction (up to 96%) indicates a dramatic gap in the level of development of the groups (Norm and DD). This may be due to the late diagnosis of problems of children's development in Russia. As a result of standardization, test norms for these scales have been obtained, allowing the usage of the method as a reliable and valid diagnostic tool for differentiation of delayed development from the normal one. The elaborated method is designed for the rapid identification of 'risk group' among 4-years children for the purpose of further more accurate diagnosis of the developmental deviations by profile specialists.