Concurrent validity of a touchscreen application to detect early cognitive delay

Abstract

Objective To explore the ability of an interactive screening tool to identify cognitive delay in children aged 18 to 24 months. Design Children were assessed using the Bayley Scale of Infant and Toddler Development - third edition (BSID-III) and a touchscreen measure of problem-solving (Babyscreen V.1.5). We examined the internal consistency and concurrent validity between the two measures. A BSID-III cognitive composite score (BSID-IIIcc) ≤1 SD below population mean was used to indicate a low average cognitive ability. Results 87 children with a mean (SD) age of 20.4 (1.3) months who experienced complications at delivery (n=53) and healthy age-matched controls (n=34) were included in the study. A moderate positive correlation between the BSID-IIIcc and the total number of tasks completed on the Babyscreen suggested reasonable concurrent validity (r=0.414, p<0.001). Children with a BSID-IIIcc ≤90 had lower median (IQR) Babyscreen score (7 (6, 8.5) vs 11 (8.5, 13); p=0.003) and a lower median (IQR) age-adjusted z-score (BST z-score) for number of items completed compared with those >90 (-1.08 (-1.5 to -0.46) vs 0.31 (-0.46 to 0.76); p=0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the prediction of a low normal BSID-IIIcc was 0.787 (CI 0.64 to 0.93). A BST z-score of