Use of the Child Development Inventory to Screen High-Risk Populations

Abstract

This study examined the validity of a parent-report inventory, the Child Development Inventory (CDI), as a developmental screening instrument in high-risk toddlers and preschoolers. Seventy-six children, aged 15-70 months, were assessed in a neonatal high-risk developmental follow-up clinic. The data included the completion of CDIs by parents/caregivers and developmental evaluations by a physician using either the Clinical Adaptive Test/Clinical Linguistic Auditory Milestone Scale (CAT/CLAMS) (15-35 months) or Slosson Intelligence Test (36-70 months). Analysis revealed a good level of sensitivity (true "abnormals"—73%) and specificity (true "normals"—87%) for the CDI General Development score. The findings suggested that the CDI is a valid and useful screening instrument for high-risk infants. Clin Pediatr. 1999;38:535-539