Are Overreferrals on Developmental Screening Tests Really a Problem?

Abstract

Children overreferred for diagnostic testing by developmental screens perform substantially lower than children with true-negative scores on measures of intelligence, language, and academic achievement-the 3 best predictors of school success. These children also carry more psychosocial risk factors, such as limited parental education and minority status. Thus, children with false-positive screening results are an at-risk group for whom diagnostic testing may not be an unnecessary expense but rather a beneficial and needed service that can help focus intervention efforts. Although such testing will not indicate a need for special education placement, it can be useful in identifying children's needs for other programs known to improve language, cognitive, and academic skills, such as Head Start, Title I services, tutoring, private speech-language therapy, and quality day care.

The accuracy of parental concern expressed in the Ages and Stages Questionnaire to predict developmental delay

“…An interesting point to note, however, is that despite no significant difference, the difference in mean BSID‐III score between the non‐cardiac surgery group and control group was in the expected direction. The findings of this study are consistent with previous research that suggests that developmental screening tests are better at predicting developmental delay in high‐risk groups . The results of the thematic analysis are important and perhaps illustrate the psyche of a parent raising a child who has undergone surgery at a very young age.…”

Growth and development of children with congenital heart disease

“…In this study, the total development evaluation for more than 70% of the children in these two groups was suspect and untestable, which was rated as abnormal. These results are consistent with those reported by Glascoe and Byrne (1993) and Glascoe (2001).…”

Preschool Communication: Early Identification of Concerns About Preschool Language Development and Social Participation

“…Earlier research has shown that children with false positive screening results differ from children with true negative scores. These children had more risk factors and their performance on diagnostic measures was less (45). As confirmed by other population studies (17,18,26,64), this article showed that while some preschool children grow out of language problems, others may develop them (Table 3).…”