Diagnostic Accuracy of Bayley III Screening Tool to Detect Developmental Delay in Moderate to High-Risk Indian Preterm Children.

The present study aimed to evaluate the ability of the Bayley III screening tool to detect developmental delay in moderate to high-risk preterm children in India. In this cross-sectional study, 94 preterm babies were enrolled. The Bayley III screener (index test) and the gold-standard, Developmental assessment scale for Indian Infants (DASII) test were administered to all the enrolled children. Researchers were blinded while performing the tests. Diagnostic accuracy parameters were compared. The Bayley III screener's sensitivity and specificity for predicting the delay (with a DASII cut-off of <70) were 84.62% and 85.18% in the mental domain and 61.11% and 96.05% in the motor domain, respectively. When the DASII cut-off was raised to 85, the sensitivity and specificity in the mental domain were 60.61% and 95.08%, respectively, whereas they were 36.11% and 98.27%, respectively, in the motor domain. The Bayley III screener is found to have good specificity rather than sensitivity with good predictive values.

Association of digital media exposure and addiction with child development and behavior: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Media exposure which was traditionally restricted only to television has now broadened to include various handheld devices and constant internet access. Although high quality educational and interactive screen time is beneficial, excessive addiction and early introduction of such media use has various deleterious consequences. AIM: To estimate the exposure of media among Indian children and its influence on early child development and behaviour. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A tertiary care hospital based cross-sectional study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included 613 children between 18 months and 12 years who visited the paediatric out-patient department for a well or a sick visit. Their media exposure was extensively analysed along with Problematic Media Use Measure Short Form (PMUM-SF). They were screened for behaviour problems using the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) accordingly. Those under five years were also subjected to a screening using Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ3). RESULTS: The most common gadget used was television followed immediately by smartphones. The average daily screen time was 2.11 hours, Mean+SD=2.11+1.53, 95% CI 2.11+ 0.12, found in (40.1%) of the study population. The prevalence of screen addiction was 28.1%, majority being boys. Increased screen time and media addiction were significantly associated with concerns in communication, problem-solving and personal-social domains, as well as conduct, hyperactivity and pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) problems. CONCLUSION: We conclude that media exposure among children should be enquired as a routine. This helps to curtail unhealthy digital media practices at the earliest to ensure a digital safe environment for children.

Parenting Styles of Parents Who Had Children With and Without High Risk at Birth: A Cross-sectional Comparative Study.

Introduction Parenting style plays a major role in child development by influencing cognitive, social-emotional development, academic performance, and behavioral problems. These characteristics are fairly stable right into adulthood. The influence of risk factors in children on the parenting style of mothers and fathers has not been studied in developing countries. Aims and methods The aim of this study is to determine the parenting style of mothers and fathers of children (3-12 years) born with and without high risk and to analyze the influence of this on parenting style. This is an analytical, cross-sectional, comparative study. Sixty-four out of 90 parents of children who have been newborn intensive care unit (NICU) graduates, with moderate to severe risk factors at birth as per the National Neonatology Forum guidelines of India, and 73 parents of children without risk factors at birth were enrolled. A parenting style and dimension questionnaire was used. The commonest parenting style in mothers and fathers and a correlation between parenting style and risk factors in children at birth were identified. Results Baseline characteristics were comparable between the high-risk and non-high-risk groups. Eighty percent of mothers and 70% of fathers followed the authoritative parenting style. There was no significant correlation between risk factors and gender, family type or socioeconomic status and the parenting style. Lack of follow-through was the only factor that was significantly present in fathers of children born without risk factors. Conclusion Authoritative was the most common parenting style, with no significant difference between parenting in the high-risk and non-high-risk groups. Adopting the appropriate parenting style will optimize developmental outcomes. Further studies are required to look at the influence of proactive positive parenting practices.