Denver Development Screening Test: How Useful?
Sustaining national dialogue on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is a challenging task which the Institute of Early Childhood Development (IECD) has taken up with relentless determination. As part of the implementation of the National Action Plan 2015 –2016 for ECCE, IECD has undertaken a Pilot Study on monitoring child development outcome through the Denver Development Screen Test (DDST) which forms part of the Maternal Child Health Programme. On the 1st of July 2016, IECD organised its 3rd ECCE Forum to stimulate a discussion on child development and the use of the DDST.
After a collegial welcome from the Chief Executive Officer of IECD, Mrs. Shirley Choppy, the proceedings of the forum began with four presentations. In the first presentation which was the Key Note Address, Dr. Conrad Shamlaye, Consultant from the Ministry of Health, an experienced researcher in child development, outlined the surveillance usage of the Denver Development Screening Test (DDST) and the need for more in-depth study of the implementation of the DDST. The second and third presentation were made by Mr. Egbert Benstrong, a specialist in Testing and Assessment: The results of the development profiles of children in the Pilot Sample were presented and it was pointed out from the data available that generally children in Seychelles were reaching developmental milestones ahead of those children on which the test was normed; however, the large proportion of missing data would need to be factored in to make more precise evidence-based judgment. Mr. Benstrong continued by presenting the results of the Parent Questionnaire: He cautioned that there was an indication that parent knowledge about the test was limited although satisfaction with the service was expressed. Dr. André Leste, Director for Programme Coordination and Research, presented the findings from the Nurse Questionnaire and highlighted some of the conditions associated with the administration of the test. Thereafter, a Panel Discussion was convened that led to an open discussion, and a rich, highly interactive, and thought-provoking debate ensued. This forum was specifically designed to engage the parents and Maternal Child Health Nurses who completed the questionnaire to talk about their experiences. Topics related to training, facilities and resources, recording and interpreting the results of the DDST, and communicating to parents emerged as key areas for further follow-up actions.
