UCSF

Aim

To determine the concurrent validity of the Warner Initial Developmental Evaluation of Adaptive and Functional Skills (WIDEA-FS), a criterion-specified questionnaire that assesses a child's adaptive skills in everyday contexts, and the Bayley Infant and Toddler Scales of Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III).

Method

In a prospective cohort study, 431 WIDEA-FS and Bayley-III assessments were completed among 341 children, aged 10 to 36 months corrected age (158 females, 183 males; median [interquartile range] gestational age at birth 32wks [29-38]), monitored in a high-risk neonatal intensive care unit follow-up clinic.

Results

WIDEA-FS scores were significantly associated with Bayley-III scores in all domains. Lower scores on the WIDEA-FS were significantly associated with an increased risk of adverse developmental performance on all Bayley-III scales. The association was strongest for motor and language Bayley-III scores when tested at <30 months of age, and for cognitive Bayley-III scores when tested at ≥30 months of age.

Interpretation

The WIDEA-FS has concurrent validity with the Bayley-III and may be a useful tool in high-risk follow-up settings.

What this paper adds

WIDEA-FS mobility, communication, and social cognition domains are concurrently valid in infants at high-risk for neurodevelopmental disability. Bayley-III motor, language, and cognitive composite scores are concurrently valid in the same group. The WIDEA-FS mobility and communication domains may be most clinically useful in children <30 months.