Indian Pediatr. 2025 Aug 5. doi: 10.1007/s13312-025-00156-9. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate the Assamese version of the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) screening tool for developmental delay (1-72 months) and autism (15-24 months) and to assess its diagnostic accuracy in comparison with the Developmental Profile-3 (DP-3) and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-Modified INCLEN Diagnostic Tool for autism spectrum disorder (INDT-ASD).
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to December 2024 at a tertiary care hospital in India. The RBSK screening tool for developmental delay and autism was translated into Assamese through a standardized process involving forward translation, back-translation, expert review, and pilot testing (n = 10). Children aged 1-72 months were recruited from the outpatient department. Developmental delay was assessed using the Developmental Profile-3 (DP-3) and ASD in children aged 15-24 months using the AIIMS-Modified INCLEN Diagnostic Tool for Autism Spectrum Disorder (INDT-ASD) tool. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed by calculating sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, Cohen’s kappa statistic, and area under receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curves.
RESULTS: A total of 139 children with mean (SD) age 30.5 (12.2 months) were enrolled. The Assamese version of the RBSK screening tool demonstrated a sensitivity and specificity of 94.1% and 84.9%, respectively, for developmental delay, and 89.5% and 93.8%, respectively, for ASD. Agreement with reference tools was high (Cohen’s kappa = 0.85 for DP-3, 0.83 for AIIMS-Modified INDT-ASD). The tool showed excellent discriminative performance with AUROC (95%CI) of 0.94 (0.89, 0.98) for developmental delay and 0.92 (0.85, 0.98) for ASD.
CONCLUSION: The validated Assamese version of the RBSK screening tool for developmental delay and autism is an accurate screening tool in Assamese-speaking population.
PMID:40762879 | DOI:10.1007/s13312-025-00156-9
