Developmental Screening in Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease: Disease-Related Risk and Screening Outcomes in 4 Year Olds.

This was a single hematology clinic with psychology staff and convenient clinic space, so results may not apply to other settings. Only 77 children were analysed, and only 5 had abnormal transcranial Doppler exams, so the stroke-risk associations are based on a very small subgroup. The study did not compare screening results with a full developmental assessment, so false positive and false negative rates are unknown. Sleep apnea data were not collected systematically, so null findings for sleep apnea are limited. Parents knew their child's medical history when completing the ASQ-2, which could have influenced their ratings. Social and environmental factors that affect development were not measured, and insurance status was only a dichotomous proxy for socioeconomic status. Children who completed only one screening instrument were excluded, and reasons for refusal were not collected systematically. The age effect on syntax scores may reflect test-taking ability or fatigue rather than development.

For the remaining authors, no conflicts of interest were declared. The supplied text does not report a funder.

Do not read these screening results as proof that either test diagnoses developmental disorders or that screening improves outcomes. The study did not compare screenings with a full developmental assessment, and the abnormal transcranial Doppler finding came from only 5 children.