Screening for Developmental Risks at 4 Years of Age

Abstract

The present study explored the continuity of normal development between the ages of 4 and 6 and also examined the permanence of any developmental problems. A comprehensive neurodevelopmental screening test (the Lene test) was administered to a sample of 434 children at the age of 4 and again at the age of 6 (n=394). The results suggest significant continuity in development from age 4 to age 6. Normal development is most likely to continue along a predetermined developmental path. The co-occurrence and severity of developmental problems increases the probability that they will persevere. No single developmental factor at age 4 could reliably predict developmental status at age 6. However, overall development at age 4 reliably predicted 78% of the variance of developmental outcome at age 6. For the most part, the results indicated that it is possible to recognise developmental problems at age 4, one year earlier than the current age for screening in the Finnish health care system.

Clustering of developmental delays in Bavarian preschool children – a repeated cross-sectional survey over a period of 12 years

“…This fact represents a considerable deficit, because it is known that especially combined developmental delays usually have moderate or strong expression, while isolated delays have rather a mild expression [16]. Further, combined developmental delays have a tendency to persistence [17]. The knowledge of these facts might be important for diagnostics in the field of childhood development.…”

How does early developmental assessment predict academic and attentional–behavioural skills at group and individual levels?

“…On the basis of exploratory factor analysis, the items for the factors included in the confirmatory factor analysis were selected. The factors at age 4 years (Lene4) were labelled motor–perceptual (eight items, loadings ranged 0.40–0.96); language (six items, loadings ranged 0.74–0.84); and attention–behaviour (four items, loadings ranged 0.74–0.98) 12 . A three‐factor solution was also formed at age 6 years using the factors gross motor (six items, loadings ranged 0.57–0.91); language (six items, loadings ranged 0.58–0.95), and school readiness (six items, loadings ranged 0.56–0.77) 12 .…”

“…The factors at age 4 years (Lene4) were labelled motor–perceptual (eight items, loadings ranged 0.40–0.96); language (six items, loadings ranged 0.74–0.84); and attention–behaviour (four items, loadings ranged 0.74–0.98) 12 . A three‐factor solution was also formed at age 6 years using the factors gross motor (six items, loadings ranged 0.57–0.91); language (six items, loadings ranged 0.58–0.95), and school readiness (six items, loadings ranged 0.56–0.77) 12 . The reliability coefficients (Cronbach’s alphas) indicating the internal consistency of the items in the Lene4 and Lene6 were 0.85 and 0.80 respectively (Appendix S1 supporting information published online).…”

“…The items for 4‐year‐olds were the following: interactional skills, attentional skills, play skills, self‐help skills, expressive speech, understanding instructions, counting, understanding questions, colour naming, auditory discrimination, walking on toes, standing on one foot, hopping, ball‐handling skills, copying designs, block construction, stringing beads, and cutting with scissors. The items for 6‐year‐olds were the following: walking backwards, standing on one foot, hopping on one foot, diadochokinesis, the finger‐nose test, attentional skills, narrative speech, speech motor skills, short‐term memory, understanding instructions, similarities, understanding questions, colour naming, counting, reading readiness, copying designs, cutting with scissors, and block construction 11,12 …”

“…The screening test used in the study was the Lene test, a neurodevelopmental screening method for toddlers and preschoolers (3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-year-olds), developed by a multidisciplinary group of clinicians and researchers, and widely used in Finland. 11,12 The children were administered the Lene test by paediatric nurses (n=32) at age 4 and again at age 6 years at local child health care centres. The Lene takes about 30 to 45 minutes to administer and consists of items targeted at different age groups and drawn from various standardized tests.…”