Dynamic assessment with the Bayley-III among young children with developmental disabilities

This article describes the results of a pilot study into the newly developed dynamic version of the Bayley-III Cognition scale. We explored the responses of children to the dynamic version (n 5 57) and the companion task behavior questionnaire (n 5 93) using administrations among children with developmental disabilities. Furthermore, we studied the added clinical value compared to the standard Bayley-III using expert interviews with 6 educational psychologists. Results showed that there is clear variability in the responses of children to the help-steps that belong to the dynamic procedure and in the score difference between the pretest and posttest. The educational psychologists indicated that the dynamic procedure clearly has added value for specific groups of children, such as children in the preliminary stage of school placement and children from socially disadvantaged families. The task behavior questionnaire was evaluated positively by most educational psychologists. We conclude that the dynamic procedure provides added value for the developmental assessment of children with developmental disabilities. We finish with suggestions for future research into the dynamic Bayley-III

Additional file 2: Table S1. of Developmental phenotype in Phelan-McDermid (22q13.3 deletion) syndrome: a systematic and prospective study in 34 children

Bayley-III-NL developmental age-equivalents (DAEs) and developmental quotients (DQs) for cognition separated by gender. (XLS 18.0 kb

Additional file 2: Table S1. of Developmental phenotype in Phelan-McDermid (22q13.3 deletion) syndrome: a systematic and prospective study in 34 children

Bayley-III-NL developmental age-equivalents (DAEs) and developmental quotients (DQs) for cognition separated by gender. (XLS 18.0 kb

Developmental phenotype in Phelan-McDermid (22q13.3 deletion) syndrome: A systematic and prospective study in 34 children

Background: Phelan- McDermid syndrome (PMS) or 22q13.3 deletion syndrome is characterized by global developmental delay, cognitive deficits, and behaviour in the autism spectrum. Knowledge about developmental and behavioural characteristics of this rare chromosomal disorder is still limited despite a rapid growing number of diagnoses. Our aim was to study a new and relatively large cohort to further characterize the developmental phenotype of children with PMS. Methods: We performed a descriptive study of children with a 22q13.3 deletion including SHANK3, aged 8 to 178 months, who were systematically (n = 34) and longitudinally (n = 29) assessed with standardized instruments: Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, third edition; Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, third edition; and Vineland Screener for Social and Adaptive Behavior. Results: Maximal developmental functioning ranged from 34 to 52 months depending on the developmental domain. In general, children performed poorest in the domain of language and best on the domain of motor (young children) or cognitive development (older children). At the individual level, 25 % scored better for receptive and 18 % for expressive language, whereas 22 % scored better for fine and 33 % for gross motor function. Developmental quotients were higher in younger children and decreased with age for all developmental domains, with 38 % of the children showing no improvement of cognitive developmental functioning. Almost all children (33/34) had significant deficits in adaptive behaviour. Children with very small deletions, covering only the SHANK3, ACR, and RABL2B genes, had a more favourable developmental phenotype. Conclusions: Cognitive, motor, and especially language development were significantly impaired in all children with PMS but also highly variable and unpredictable. In addition, deficits in adaptive behaviour further hampered their cognitive development. Therefore, cognitive and behavioural characteristics should be evaluated and followed in each child with PMS to adapt supportive and therapeutic strategies to individual needs. Further research evaluating the relationship between deletion characteristics and the developmental phenotype is warranted to improve counselling of parents