Parents' evaluation of developmental status in the Australian day-care setting: Developmental concerns of parents and carers

Abstract

Objective: To trial the Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) as an instrument for reporting developmental concerns for Australian preschool children. Method: A cross-sectional survey of parents and carers of 262 children attending five day-care centres and two kindergartens in Melbourne was conducted between October and November 1999. Parents and carers completed the written PEDS questionnaire, comprising 10 questions eliciting concerns about learning, development and behaviour, and answered questions about the acceptability and use of the PEDS. Results: Of 445 children, 389 were eligible for inclusion. Complete parent and carer PEDS data were available for 262 children (67% re..