OBJECTIVES: This analysis is one arm of a larger study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) studying the potential neurodevelopmental impacts of the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). Two-year old infants exposed and not exposed to CHIKV in utero are being compared across several cognitive domains: attention, gross and fine motor, receptive and expressive language, and socioemotional function. The purpose of this analysis is to determine the statistical agreement between two established pediatric neurodevelopmental assessments that have been used in different parts of the world. If the measures show high agreement, results from the current study can be compared to previous CHIKV results from Réunion Island, France.

METHODS: Fifty children aged 24 months have been assessed and scored utilizing both the INTERGROWTH-21st Neurodevelopment Assessment and the Revised Brunet-Lézine Scale to provide an accurate comparison. Both sets of scores were standardized to a mean of 100 ± 15 (± SD) and the established Revised Brunet-Lézine categories were used.

RESULTS: A strong agreement (B = 0.728) was found when the categories were condensed which is to be expected as most study participants fell within the normal range. When the categories were expanded to be more precise, a weak agreement was found (B = 0.197).

CONCLUSIONS: The scores provided by study participants were not sufficient to complete a definitive comparison and any comparisons done between the two assessments should be done with caution until an agreement is confirmed. Future studies comparing assessments should ensure the data encompasses the full range of scores which can be provided through stratified random sampling and a large sample size. This type of analysis is the first step in creating a global standard for neurodevelopment.