The following questions pertain to test construction, administration
and the testing materials. Click on a question to see the answer.
For additional questions related to orders, see order
information.
How does one use the DENVER II with a non-English speaking children?
You may use a translator with instructions to stay as close as possible to directions and wording in manual.
We sell Spanish DENVER II and a Spanish supplemental manual as well as a Spanish DENVER II complete package.
How does one interpret the DENVER II?
The data are presented as age norms similar to a growth curve. The more items a child fails to perform passed by 90% of his/her peers, the more likely the child manifests a significant developmental deviation that warrants further evaluation. See Reference #7.
How valid is the DENVER II?
The DENVER II is designed to reflect the development of a broad range of heterogeneous skills in a minimum amount of time. As such it is not designed to measure any single, or even a few hypothetical constructs such as intelligence, motor functioning, or social skills. Its validity, therefore, is based upon its standardization. The sample of over 2,000 children, representing a broad spectrum of children, was representative of the Colorado population (1980 census). This sample has relatively minor demographic differences between it and the U.S. See Reference #7.
How reliable is the DENVER II?
The inter-rater and 7- 10 day test retest (same examiner and same-observer) reliability was determined for each of 141 potential items. Of the 125 items selected for the final form, 107 had excellent inter-rater reliability, 63 had excellent and 25 had fair to good test-retest reliability. See Reference #10.
What is the PDQ II?
The PDQ II, Pre-screening Developmental Questionnaire, is a 105 item parent answered questionnaire regarding his/her child’s current level of development. Each question corresponds to a DENVER II item, and also depicts the 75% and 90% ages at which the standardization population passed the item. At each visit the parent is only asked to answer seven to ten age appropriate questions. For items the child is reported not to be able to perform, the provider compares the child's age with the norms. If the child is reported unable to perform two or more items passed by 90%, the child may be considered worthy of more detailed evaluation by administering the DENVER II.
Has the PDQ II been evaluated?
Yes, it was administered to 284 parents (100 in private pediatric offices, 89 in public health clinics and 95 in day care centers). The ages of the children varied from three to 72 months. Parent education varied from 20% below 12th grade, 40% 12th grade and 20% above 12th grade. The number of reported delays varied minimally between the three sites, averaging 75% no delays, 19% one and 6% two or more. Parents found the questionnaire easy to understand, increasing their awareness of their children’s development and giving them ideas of what they might do to foster their children’s development. Over 80% of the parents wished their provider would continue to use the PDQ II.
Like a growth curve, enables the user to compare a child’s
development with that of over 2,000 children in the 1989
standardization population.
Identifies items in which a sub-sample (race, less educated parents or place of residence) varied a clinically significant amount from the composite sample. These norms are identified and provided in the DENVER II Technical Manual.
Provides a broad variety of standardized items to give a quick over-view of the child’s development.
Contains articulation items and a behavior rating scale.
How long does it take to administer the PDQ II and the DENVER II?
It takes one to two minutes for the receptionist to instruct the parent to complete the PDQ II while the parent is in the waiting room, and about one minute for the provider to interpret it. The DENVER II takes between 10 and 20 minutes to administer and interpret the test. The variation depends upon both the age of the child and the child’s cooperation. Therefore screening 100 children might take about 1 ½ hours for the interpretation by the provider and 1 ½ hours to administer the DENVER II to six children who are suspect upon the PDQ II.
What is included in the DENVER II Kit?
The following test items are included in the DENVER II Kit: bell, glass bottle, set of 10 blocks, rattle, pencil (#2 lead), tennis ball, yarn, raisins, zippered bag, cup, doll, baby bottle, and an interpretation card.
Are these materials protected by copyright law?
The written materials published by DDM Inc. are copyright
protected. None of this material, in part or whole, may
be copied without permission. Norms, including percentages,
are covered by this protection as well. For permissions
and licensing contact DDM, Inc.
at (800) 419-4729. Persons outside the United States,
interested in licensing for the purpose of reproduction,
translation, or distribution abroad should contact DDM,
Inc. by telephone at the same number or by written request
to DDM, Inc.
