Magdalena Janus1, Dena Zeraatkar1,2, Eric Duku1, Teresa Bennett1. 1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, Offord Centre for Child Studies, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. 2. Health Research Methodology Program, Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Abstract
AIM: Population-level data on the development of children with special health needs attending primary school can assist special education, health and service delivery strategies. This study aims to determine whether results of the Early Development Instrument (EDI) can be interpreted and used with the same confidence for children with special health needs as for those who are typically developing. Psychometric properties of the EDI for kindergarteners with identified special health needs are examined. METHODS: Data for children with a special health need designation come from a database of all Canadian provincial implementations of the EDI between 2004 and 2014. Item and domain characteristics (distributions of scores and measures of internal consistency) of the EDI were examined. Construct validation was assessed by correlating EDI scores with gender and age. The fit of the original factor structure of the EDI was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis. RESULTS: Data for 29 692 children (69.8% male) were analysed. The performance of items and domains was similar to that of typically developing children. As expected, boys scored lower on all EDI domains (Cohen's d: 0.03-0.46) and a general, but non-significant, positive trend was observed between age and EDI scores. The factor structure of the EDI in this population yielded similar goodness-of-fit statistics as those reported in studies with typically developing children. CONCLUSION: Results of this investigation support the validity of the EDI in children with special health needs, paving the way for a more extensive use of EDI data for this vulnerable, yet often neglected, population.
AIM: Population-level data on the development of children with special health needs attending primary school can assist special education, health and service delivery strategies. This study aims to determine whether results of the Early Development Instrument (EDI) can be interpreted and used with the same confidence for children with special health needs as for those who are typically developing. Psychometric properties of the EDI for kindergarteners with identified special health needs are examined. METHODS: Data for children with a special health need designation come from a database of all Canadian provincial implementations of the EDI between 2004 and 2014. Item and domain characteristics (distributions of scores and measures of internal consistency) of the EDI were examined. Construct validation was assessed by correlating EDI scores with gender and age. The fit of the original factor structure of the EDI was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis. RESULTS: Data for 29 692 children (69.8% male) were analysed. The performance of items and domains was similar to that of typically developing children. As expected, boys scored lower on all EDI domains (Cohen's d: 0.03-0.46) and a general, but non-significant, positive trend was observed between age and EDI scores. The factor structure of the EDI in this population yielded similar goodness-of-fit statistics as those reported in studies with typically developing children. CONCLUSION: Results of this investigation support the validity of the EDI in children with special health needs, paving the way for a more extensive use of EDI data for this vulnerable, yet often neglected, population.
Authors: Natasha Ruth Saunders; Magdalena Janus; Joan Porter; Hong Lu; Ashley Gaskin; Gangamma Kalappa; Astrid Guttmann Journal: Int J Popul Data Sci Date: 2021-02-11
Authors: Jacqueline Pei; Caroline Reid-Westoby; Ayesha Siddiqua; Yomna Elshamy; Devyn Rorem; Teresa Bennett; Catherine Birken; Rob Coplan; Eric Duku; Mark A Ferro; Barry Forer; Stelios Georgiades; Jan Willem Gorter; Martin Guhn; Jonathon Maguire; Heather Manson; Rob Santos; Marni Brownell; Magdalena Janus Journal: J Autism Dev Disord Date: 2021-02
Authors: Dena Zeraatkar; Eric Duku; Teresa Bennett; Martin Guhn; Barry Forer; Marni Brownell; Magdalena Janus Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2020-04-28 Impact factor: 3.006