Prevalence of Developmental Delay in 12-month-old Infants, Urban Health Centers, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, 2018 - 2019

Developmental delay (DD) in children is a crucial issue in pediatric health. The most practical evaluation way for early detection of developmental delay is parent-completed tool by the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ).

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of developmental delay in 12-month-old infants.

In this cross-sectional study, 5,025 ASQs of 12-month-old children who presented in urban health centers of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences from 23 August 2018 to 23 August 2019, were evaluated. Total scores in five main domains and six final questions were extracted.

Fifty-one-point-five percent were boys. Also, 243 cases (4.8%) had problem in at least one out of the five domains, 68 cases (1.35%) had DD in two domains, five cases (0.09%) in three domains, four cases (0.07%) in four domains, and two cases (0.03%) had an essential delay in all five domains. Developmental delay was seen more in gross motor (1.6%), followed by communication (1.5%), problem-solving (1%), fine motor (0.4%), and personal-social (0.3%), respectively. There were significant statistical differences in personal-social and problem-solving in boys. Among six questions in ASQ, the most common problem was in question 4 (1.4%), which is related to auditory problems.

Developmental screening is a basic tool for developmental delay detection. Developmental delay diagnosis and early intervention may be possible through cost-effective screening tools.