An empirical evaluation of developmental screening methods ultimately relies on research that has been subjected to peer review and published in scientific journals. Unfortunately, there are surprisingly few published studies that describe the psychometric characteristics of the developmental screening tests reviewed in this manual, and even fewer studies that demonstrate their utility and validity in clinical settings.
Guide 5 contains the information on the instruments that has been published in peer-reviewed journals. We applied the Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD) statement to the published studies and provided an overall rating. A STARD rating of 25 indicates that all criteria for determining diagnostic accuracy were met. Readers should note that this is an ideal standard for research on diagnostic tests (not only screening instruments).
This guide includes the following information:
- The number of studies reviewed
- Populations studied including risk status
- Overall rating of studies based the Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy statement (STARD)
- Sensitivity and specificity data for age ranges assessed in each study
- Link to reference list of articles reviewed.
Back to Part II: Guides to Facilitate Your Choice and Use of Screening Instruments