Infant and Pre-School Developmental Screening Test (JDDST) and Later Development.

This study was conducted to investigate the long-term validity of the Japanese version of the Denver Developmental Screening Test (JDDST). Participating in the initial assessment were 1230 children in Tokyo and 600 children in Iwate who were between 1 month and 6 years of age when assessed between 1975 and 1979. Participants in the 1983 and 1985 follow-ups were those subjects who were aged 1 to 24 months, 25 to 48 months, or 49 to 72 months at the time of initial assessment and located at the same address they had been when first assessed. For follow-up, questionnaires inquiring into the present status of subjects at school and home were mailed to teachers and mothers. Three ratings were used to classify mothers' and teachers' evaluations of the children: normal or above normal, borderline, and retarded or classified for special education. Questionnaires were returned for 532 Tokyo and 463 Iwate children. In the northern, rural Iwate area, a modified form of the JDDST was used in the follow-up; this form took climate and urbanization factors into consideration. Long-term validity of the initial JDDST testing in Iwate was evaluated by comparing results on both original and modified forms of the test with initial results on the original form. Findings are discussed. (RH)