Communicative Development Inventories (CDIs) in etiologically diverse developmental conditions: A systematic review.

Most included studies were cross-sectional with only 1–2 timepoints, limiting the ability to draw robust conclusions about developmental trajectories. There was significant heterogeneity in CDI versions (Words and Gestures, Words and Sentences, short forms) and languages used, making cross-condition and cross-linguistic comparisons difficult. Many studies did not report raw scores, interquartile ranges, or consistent documentation of which CDI version was used, restricting data extraction. Parental reporting biases were noted, with parents potentially under- or over-estimating skills depending on the child's condition and their own expectations. The review excluded language-specific conditions like Developmental Language Disorder, limiting generalizability to those populations.

No specific funding sources or conflicts of interest were declared in the provided text.

Do not use standard CDI scores as a definitive diagnostic screening tool for language disorders in neurodevelopmental conditions. The review found insufficient evidence for their diagnostic accuracy in this role, and scores can be misleadingly low if they do not account for sign use, intelligibility, or specific condition profiles like those in Down syndrome or Angelman syndrome.