The Denver II Scales and the Griffiths Scales of Mental Development: a correlational study

Abstract

Screening measures aim to minimise the number of children being diagnosed incorrectly; however, many of these measures have been based on the "normal" white population. This study identified the need for a valid developmental assessment of black preschool children. The general aim of the study was to investigate the use of the Denver II and the Griffiths Scales on a pre-school black Xhosa-speaking sample. Specifically, the aim was to investigate the relationship between the Denver II Scales and the Griffiths Scales, in order to provide the first step in establishing the validity of the Denver II Scales on a South African black population. A correlational design was used and the sample was comprised of 60 Xhosa-speaking children between the ages of 3 and 6 years. The findings revealed that there was a significant relationship between the overall performance of the Denver II and the Griffiths Scales. However, the Personal-Social Scale of the Denver II appeared to have items that were culturally biased. Further, the Denver II further identified a higher percentage of the sample to have abnormal or questionable protocols than the Griffiths Scales did.

The association between stunting and psychosocial development among preschool children: a study using the South African Birth to Twenty cohort data

“…The R‐DPDQ has been found to be significantly associated with the Griffiths Scale of Mental Development in South Africa (Luiz et al . ). Internal consistency is 0.71.…”

Alcohol exposure during pregnancy altered childhood developmental trajectories in a rural South African community

“…Age‐appropriate versions of the GMDS‐ER measured developmental functioning at years one and five, with prematurity corrected at year one. The GMDS‐ER was developed in the United Kingdom, and although it does not provide normal measures for South African children, it has been extensively used to assess the development of local children in the country . Existing Afrikaans and Xhosa translations were used.…”

“…Means range between 99.87 and 100.46, with standard deviation scores from 0.58 to 17.43 . A standard score of 100 would place the child's performance within the average range whereas a score below 70 (<2 standard deviations) would indicate a significant degree of developmental delay . Age equivalents or mental age, based on tables from the analyses manual, were used in conjunction with the chronological age and plotted as developmental trajectories for the total GQ and each subscale.…”

Recovery from stunting and cognitive outcomes in young children: evidence from the South African Birth to Twenty Cohort Study

“…Earlier research found a significant correlation between the Denver Development Screening Test and the Griffiths Mental Development Scales among black African pre-school children in South Africa. 26 More recently, using Bt20 data, Hsiao and Richter 25 report strongly significant associations between performance in the R-DPDQ at age 5 and various other outcomes, namely scores on the Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices and the Connor's Teacher Rating Questionnaire at age 7, age of first entry to school and grade repetition by Grade 6. Internal consistency for the R-DPDQ measure in the Bt20 sample is 0.71, measured by Cronbach's α.…”