Developmental Screening Tools Used with First Nations Populations: A Systematic Review

• Published in: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Main Authors: Sara Cibralic, Patrick Hawker, Feroza Khan, Antonio Mendoza Diaz, Susan Woolfenden, Elisabeth Murphy, April Deering, Clare Schnelle, Sharnee Townsend, Kerrie Doyle, Valsamma Eapen
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2022
• Subjects: developmental screening; screening tools; First Nations populations; Medicine; R; Prisma; First Nations
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315627; https://doaj.org/article/321c7fba23ce45fa89aac0c80d8beb54

Developmental surveillance and screening is recommended for all children under five years of age, especially for those from at-risk populations such as First Nations children. No review to date has, however, evaluated the use of developmental screening tools with First Nations children. This review aimed to examine and synthesise the literature on developmental screening tools developed for, or used with, First Nations populations children aged five years or younger. A PRISMA-compliant systematic review was performed in the PsychInfo, PubMed, and Embase databases. Additional searches were also undertaken. In total 444 articles were identified and 13 were included in the final review. Findings indicated that several developmental screening tools have been administered with First Nations children. Most tools, however, have only been evaluated in one study. Results also found that no studies evaluated actions taken following positive screening results. More research evaluating the accuracy, acceptability, and feasibility of using developmental screeners with First Nations children is required before widespread implementation of developmental screening in clinical settings with First Nations children is recommended.