Psychomotor development disorders in apparently healthy children and considerations of family evaluation

Abstract

Difficulties that paediatricians find when evaluating psychomotor development at an early age result in the possibility that, at the school stage, seemingly healthy children can conceal development disorders, thereby complicating their detection, even within their own family environment. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of developmental disorders in children without a prior diagnosis and the consistency between family perception and the real state of development. 187 pupils (51.3% boys) with an average age of 4.3 years (DT = 1.2) took part in the study. The real state of psychomotor development was evaluated using the Battelle-2 Inventory, while family perception was assessed using the Age and Stages Questionnaires. Results revealed an average prevalence of 10% for impaired developmental, while 13.3% displayed delayed motor development. Regarding family perception, families attributed the above-average performance to their children in all aspects. Therefore, the level of correlation between family perception and real development was light in all the dimensions analysed. The results of this study emphasize the excessive number of children with developmental disorders that have gone undetected, as well as the limitations of evaluation tools for parents when used for children with no apparent risk.