Developmental Assessment in Children at Higher Likelihood for Developmental Delays - Comparison of Parent Report and Direct Assessment.

The study was a retrospective chart review of children already referred for developmental concern, so it does not show how the parent interview performs in routine screening of less worried children. The sample was young, from 6 to 42 months, and had a high rate of global developmental delay and autism, so results may not generalize to older children or milder delays. For the global developmental delay diagnosis, the parent interview was part of the clinical decision being predicted, which can make accuracy look higher than it would be if used independently. The sample was racially and linguistically diverse, but it was not large enough to examine accuracy within specific minority groups. Autism trait ratings were available for 133 children, so some analyses used a smaller subset than the full 167. The study did not test telehealth administration, despite discussing it as a possible use.

Do not read the parent interview as a stand-alone diagnostic tool. The global developmental delay diagnosis was partly informed by the same parent interview, and the sample was already referred for possible delay, so the results do not show the interview can replace direct testing in all children.