A Concurrent Validation Study of the Maryland Developmental Screen

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the concurrent validity of a new screening instrument, the Maryland Developmental Screen (MDS), with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Second Edition (BSID-II). The MDS and BSID-II were concurrently administered at the University of Maryland (UMMS) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Follow Up Clinic to an age stratified sample of 81 infants and toddlers, born at 36 weeks gestation or younger, and whose corrected ages ranged from 18 days through 37 months of age. The sensitivity and the specificity rates were determined to be 88.2% and 90.1% respectively. The chance hit rate of 66.7% indicates that the overall hit rate of 90.1 was not due to chance alone. A relationship between the false negative and false positive outcomes in relation to the developmental domain of the child was determined. Evidence that the MDS has unique utility in identifying potential atypical development was also demonstrated. This study provides preliminary evidence that the MDS has validity in screening the development of infants and toddlers born prematurely. Further investigation of the instrument's validity using larger and more diverse sample sizes is needed.