Screening results of psychomotor development of children at inpatient unit of a training hospital in Turkey

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the psychomotor development of inpatient children in the pediatrics clinic and referring the children who have problems. Materials and Methods: Four hundred twenty children between 4-72 months at inpatient unit of the department of Pediatrics at Konya State Research hospital were included in the present study. A child development specialist who was unaware of the history and neurological examination of the cases administered Denver developmental screening test (DDST) II to all children once. Children who were found to be abnormal or questionable were further evaluated by the child and adolescent psychiatrist. Results: Three hundred forty five (82\%) were found to be `normal', 12 (2.8\%) were found to be `questionable' and 64 (15.2\%) cases were found to be `abnormal' with regard to DDST II. Post evaluation of questionable and abnormal cases by the child and adolescent psychiatrist, 26 cases were referred to special education institutions with the diagnosis of global developmental delay and 2 cases with the diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorder. Conclusion: It is important to apply screening tests for developmental evaluation to each child at inpatient pediatric clinics in order to diagnose developmental delays earlier.