Denver II: evaluation of the development of children treated in the outpatient clinic of Project Einstein in the Community of Paraisópolis

ABSTRACT Objectives: To evaluate the neuropsychomotor development of children treated in an outpatient clinic, using the Denver Developmental Screening Test II (DDST-R). Methods: This was an exploratory descriptive research using a quantitative approach, conducted in the outpatient clinic of the Project Einstein in the Community of Paraisopolis (PECP), São Paulo, Brazil. The sample consisted of 35 children, from birth to 6 years of age, most of them from 1 to 3 years old (19; 54.3%). They underwent the Denver II Test, which assesses four neuropsychomotor development areas: gross motor, fine motor adaptive, language and personal-social. Results: Most of the children (24, 68.6%) had test results compatible with normal development, while 10 (28.6%) had a “risk” test and 1 (2.9%) was “untestable” due to refusal to carry out the proposed activities. As to the items evaluated in each area, 7 children (20%) showed a developmental “delay” (when the child does not perform the activity passed by more than 90% of the children of his/her age) and 18 (51%) required “attention” (when the child does not perform the activity passed by 75 to 90% of the children of his/her age), predominantly in the language area. Conclusions: Although most of the children (68.6%) presented normal development in the test, we point out that in the remaining children (31.4%), the number of items classified as “delay” or “attention”, and tests classified as “risk” or “untestable” suggest impairment in neuropsychomotor development. We underscore the importance of the routine administration of the DDST-R for an early detection of developmental disabilities and thus establish primary prevention programs.

摘要
研究目的：采用丹佛发育筛查试验II（Denver Developmental Screening Test II，DDST-R）评估某门诊就诊儿童的神经精神运动发育水平。
研究方法：本研究为探索性描述性定量研究，于巴西圣保罗市帕拉伊索波利斯社区爱因斯坦社区项目（Project Einstein in the Community of Paraisopolis, PECP）门诊开展。研究样本共纳入35名0至6岁儿童，其中1至3岁儿童占比最高（19名，占54.3%）。所有受试儿童均接受丹佛II型发育筛查测试，该测试涵盖四大神经精神运动发育领域：大运动、精细运动适应、语言及个人社交能力。
研究结果：多数儿童（24名，占68.6%）的测试结果符合正常发育水平；10名儿童（28.6%）测试结果为“风险”等级；另有1名儿童（2.9%）因拒绝配合测试活动被判定为“无法测试”。针对各领域的评估条目，7名儿童（20%）存在发育“迟缓”（即儿童无法完成同龄儿童中90%以上均可完成的活动），18名儿童（51%）需要“关注”（即儿童无法完成同龄儿童中75%至90%均可完成的活动），上述情况在语言领域最为突出。
研究结论：尽管多数儿童（68.6%）的测试结果显示发育水平正常，但本研究指出，剩余31.4%的儿童中，被归类为“迟缓”或“需关注”的条目数量，以及被判定为“风险”或“无法测试”的测试结果，均提示存在神经精神运动发育受损的可能性。本研究强调，常规开展丹佛发育筛查试验II（DDST-R）有助于早期发现发育障碍，进而制定一级预防方案。