Sónia Lopes1, Patrícia Graça2, Salete Teixeira3, Ana Maria Serrano4, Jane Squires5. 1. Escola Superior de Saúde Jean Piaget V. N. Gaia, Instituto Piaget, Portugal. Electronic address: sonia.lopes@gaia.ipiaget.pt. 2. Centro Integrado de Saúde Desenvolvimento Educação e Cultura, Rua Padre António Caldas, n° 1281, Oliveira do Castelo, 4810-246 Guimarães, Portugal. Electronic address: to.patriciameireles@gmail.com. 3. Centro Integrado de Saúde Desenvolvimento Educação e Cultura, Rua Padre António Caldas, n° 1281, Oliveira do Castelo, 4810-246 Guimarães, Portugal. Electronic address: l_salete_t@hotmail.com. 4. Instituto de Educação (IE), Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal. Electronic address: serrano@ie.uminho.pt. 5. Center on Human Development, University of Oregon, 901 E 18th Ave., Suite 139, Eugene, OR 97403-5253, United States. Electronic address: jsquires@uoregon.edu.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The essential underlying foundations of Early Intervention (EI), in which parents/family play a critical role in their child's development, leads us to conclude that their contribution assessing early detection of problems is fundamental. The Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) is a standardized screening instrument that has been successfully studied in different countries and cultures. AIMS: Translate and study the psychometrics proprieties of the Portuguese version of the 9, 18 and 30month questionnaires of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires, 3rd edition (ASQ-3). STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS: Validity and reliability were studied in a sample of 234 parents of children within 9, 18 and 30months. RESULTS: The results indicated that the questionnaires had good internal consistency, strong agreement between observers and between observations with two weeks interval, and strong Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients between the overall and the total for each domain. The cutoff points (i.e. 2 standard deviations below the mean domain score), that identifies children who should receive further referral for more comprehensive assessment, were close to those determined in the original ASQ-3 psychometric studies. Cronbach's alpha ranging from .42 to .70 and Pearson's r values varies from .22 to .60. CONCLUSIONS: Although some weaknesses were noted in psychometric qualities analysis, it can be concluded that the ASQ-PT of 9, 18 and 30months of age fulfills the requirements of a screening tool validated for the Portuguese population. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: To allow the early identification of children with developmental problems.
BACKGROUND: The essential underlying foundations of Early Intervention (EI), in which parents/family play a critical role in their child's development, leads us to conclude that their contribution assessing early detection of problems is fundamental. The Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) is a standardized screening instrument that has been successfully studied in different countries and cultures. AIMS: Translate and study the psychometrics proprieties of the Portuguese version of the 9, 18 and 30month questionnaires of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires, 3rd edition (ASQ-3). STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS: Validity and reliability were studied in a sample of 234 parents of children within 9, 18 and 30months. RESULTS: The results indicated that the questionnaires had good internal consistency, strong agreement between observers and between observations with two weeks interval, and strong Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients between the overall and the total for each domain. The cutoff points (i.e. 2 standard deviations below the mean domain score), that identifies children who should receive further referral for more comprehensive assessment, were close to those determined in the original ASQ-3 psychometric studies. Cronbach's alpha ranging from .42 to .70 and Pearson's r values varies from .22 to .60. CONCLUSIONS: Although some weaknesses were noted in psychometric qualities analysis, it can be concluded that the ASQ-PT of 9, 18 and 30months of age fulfills the requirements of a screening tool validated for the Portuguese population. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: To allow the early identification of children with developmental problems.