Development of a screening tool for children prior to school entrance.

The present study describes the development, application and validation of the Α' TEST, a screening tool administered individually to kindergarten children to determine their school preparedness. The A' TEST evaluates six cognitive domains (abstract thinking, critical reasoning, language skills, visual perception, visual motor skills and organizational skills). It was administered to 2002 preschool children, and validated through comparison with well-established classification systems. Also, in order to examine the predictive value of the A' TEST, 201 of the examined children were reevaluated by their teachers two years after initial assessment. Analysis provided evidence of structure, convergent, concurrent and discriminant validity and reliability, as well as predictive validity. Overall, the Α' TEST predicted that 9.1% of the children were not school-ready, giving a 98.5% correct prediction when compared with the teachers' evaluations two years later. In conclusion, the Α' TEST is a valid and appropriate screening tool for school readiness.

Psychomotor development of children born after preimplantation genetic diagnosis and parental stress evaluation.

BACKGROUND: The increasing number of children conceived following preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) necessitates the evaluation of their motor and cognitive development. The primary study objective was to evaluate the physical, developmental, and neurological outcome of children born after PGD in Greece. In addition, the secondary study objective was to compare the stress levels regarding parental roles between parents of PGD children and those of naturally conceived children. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was applied. The study population consisted of 31 children (aged 2 months to 7.5 years) born after PGD analysis and their parents. The developmental evaluation of children included a detailed physical evaluation and cognitive assessment with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. The parent stress index was applied to evaluate comparative parental stress levels between those parents of PGD children and those of naturally conceived healthy children. RESULTS: High rates of caesarean deliveries, increased incidence of prematurity, multiples and low-birth weight were observed among the 31 PGD children. Overall, 24 of the 31 PGD children had cognitive skills within normal range [general developmental quotient (GDQ): 86-115], while 6 children had lower levels of cognitive skills (GDQ<85). With regard to parental stress, PGD parents reported lower levels of parenting stress as compared to parents of naturally conceived children (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The enhanced frequency of poor cognitive and motor skills as well as low parental stress necessitates early detection and intervention for developmental delays among PGD children.