A systematic review of the prevalence of parental concerns measured by the Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS)indicating developmental risk

Abstract

BackgroundParental concerns about their children’s development can be used as an indicator of developmental risk. We undertook a systematic review of the prevalence of parents’ concerns as an indicator of developmental risk, measured by the Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) and associated risk factors.MethodsElectronic databases, bibliographies and websites were searched and experts contacted. Studies were screened for eligibility and study characteristics were extracted independently by two authors. A summary estimate for prevalence was derived. Meta-regression examined the impact of study characteristics and quality. Meta-analysis was used to derive pooled estimates of the impact of biological and psychosocial risk factors on the odds of parental concerns indicating high developmental risk.ResultsThirty seven studies were identified with a total of 210,242 subjects. Overall 13.8% (95% CI 10.9 -16.8%) of parents had concerns indicating their child was at high developmental risk and 19.8% (95% CI 16.7-22.9%) had concerns indicating their child was at moderate developmental risk. Male gender, low birth weight, poor/fair child health rating, poor maternal mental health, lower socioeconomic status (SES), minority ethnicity, not being read to, a lack of access to health care and not having health insurance were significantly associated with parental concerns indicating a high developmental risk.ConclusionsThe prevalence of parental concerns measured with the PEDS indicating developmental risk is substantial. There is increased prevalence associated with biological and psychosocial adversity.Trial registrationPROSPERO Registration: CRD42012003215.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2431-14-231) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A hybrid concept analysis of children of concern: Japanese healthcare professionals’ views of children at a high risk of developmental disability

“…One previous review suggested that parenting concerns are closely related to outcomes and that the concerns of parents and teachers are likely to be an effective first screening tool for children at developmental risk, if stigma can be reduced [7]. This study further highlights the need to develop a new screening system that utilizes the perceptions of parents and multidisciplinary professionals who traditionally have not played a major role in mass screening systems of children with any healthcare needs in Japan.…”

“…Globally, it is known that children with these developmental difficulties often go undiagnosed and are thus deprived of the opportunity for early intervention [3, 4, 6]. Moreover, the developmental outcome for these children is associated with psychosocial factors such as socioeconomic status and maternal mental health, as well as access to and compliance with treatment [6, 7]. Therefore, in many areas around the globe, it is now recommended to provide early intervention for a wide range of children who are considered at risk of developing behavioral and emotional disorders, to prevent future social exclusion as well as their parents’ difficulties (for example in Australia and Sweden [8, 9]).…”

Developmental Screening—Evaluation of an m-Health Version of the Parents Evaluation Developmental Status Tools

“…9 In contrast, a study conducted on a global scale, including data from 11 countries, depicted a lower referral rate of 34%. 24 The high referral rate noted in the abovementioned South African contexts may be problematic as the already overburdened healthcare system may not be able to provide effective and accountable services to all, should developmental screening be implemented on a large scale. The PEDS tool referral algorithm may need to be adapted for the South African underserved population to ensure that moderate to severe developmental delays are detected, as well as referred, and that mild developmental delays are followed up by means of developmental surveillance.…”

The Health, Functioning and Wellbeing Summary Traffic Light Communication Tool: a survey of families’ views

“…Parental concerns have long been shown to accurately predict the presence of developmental issues and disabling conditions . Taking the time to ensure that families’ concerns are fully elicited and addressed within the consultation can help families to feel more in control of health care .…”