Comparison of performance of Sri Lankan and US children on cognitive and motor scales of the Bayley scales of infant development

Abstract

BackgroundThere is no validated scale to assess neurodevelopment of infants and children in Sri Lanka. The Bayley III scales have used widely globally but it has not been validated for Sri Lankan children. We administered the Cognitive and Motor Scales of the Bayley III to 150 full-term children aged 6, 12 and 24 months from the Gampaha District of Sri Lanka. We compared the performance of Sri Lankan children 6, 12 and 24 months of age on the cognitive and motor scales of the Bayley III with that of US children.ResultsCompared to the US norms, at 12 months, Sri Lankan children had significantly higher cognitive scores and lower gross motor scores, and at 24 months significantly lower cognitive scores. The test had a high test-retest reliability among Sri Lankan children.ConclusionsThere were small differences in the cognitive and motors scores between Sri Lankan and US children. It is feasible to use Bayley III scales to assess neurodevelopment of Sri Lankan children. However, we recommend that the tool be validated using a larger representative sample of all population groups.

Cross‐cultural validity of standardized motor development screening and assessment tools: a systematic review

“…51 However, Sri Lankan children had lower gross motor scores at 12 months. Compared with the BSITD-3 norms, Sri Lankan children demonstrated similar fine motor scores at 6 months, 12, and 24 months, and similar gross motor scores at 6 months and 24 months.…”

“…Compared with the BSITD-3 norms, Sri Lankan children demonstrated similar fine motor scores at 6 months, 12, and 24 months, and similar gross motor scores at 6 months and 24 months. 51 However, Sri Lankan children had lower gross motor scores at 12 months. Given the small differences in motor scores found between Sri Lankan children and the BSITD-3 normative sample, Godamunne et al 51 concluded that it is feasible to use the BSITD-3 to assess the motor development of Sri Lankan children.…”

“…32,51 In some cultures, caregivers deliberately restrict children's mobility because they fear independent mobility increases the likelihood young infants will encounter danger. Delayed onset of unsupported standing and walking in Asian cultures was attributed to parents' concerns regarding falls associated with independent ambulation.…”

“…The applicability and/or validity of the BSITD-3 were studied in African, [46][47][48][49][50] Asian, 51,52 Australian, 53,54 and European infants. 34,[47][48][49][50]55,56 A total of 3467 infants, age range 14 days to 42 months, participated in the eight studies.…”

“…Delayed onset of unsupported standing and walking in Asian cultures was attributed to parents' concerns regarding falls associated with independent ambulation. 32,51 In some cultures, caregivers deliberately restrict children's mobility because they fear independent mobility increases the likelihood young infants will encounter danger. 63 In contrast, gross motor advancement observed in African infants in Cameroon during their first 6 months of life has been attributed to parents' emphasis on postural control training.…”