Systems of early detection in Australian communities: the use of a developmental concern questionnaire to link services

Abstract

Objective: To establish the Parents’ Evaluation of Development Status (PEDS) questionnaire as an acceptable and feasible communication and developmental screening tool to use with parents and providers of maternal and child health centres, childcare centres, preschools and primary schools.

Design: This was a cross sectional study designed to evaluate the utility and uptake, satisfaction level, referral patterns and impact of the PEDS on services and parents. Methods included provider and parent completed questionnaires and semi structured interviews.

Subjects: The PEDS questionnaire was utilised by maternal and child health nurses, childcare workers, preschool teachers, primary school teachers and primary school nurses in the regional city of Wodonga in 2003. There were 246 parents who completed the PEDS questionnaire.

Results: The PEDS proved to have high utility and be relatively cheap. The majority of parents (99.4%) found the questionnaire easy or very easy to complete and would use it in the future, particularly in relating to health and education professionals. Those least educated found it the most helpful. Similarly, over 80% of providers felt confident in using the PEDS, agreeing that it was a positive addition to their practice especially to facilitate routine visits, and periods of transition. Costs were estimated at $1.80 per child based on conservative estimates.

Conclusions: The PEDS was found to be a useful and acceptable tool for screening, facilitating parent discussion, and communication between service providers. It increased attention on children’s developmental progress and helped to create a coordinated early years service framework that focused on child development, early detection and prevention.