D'Aprano, Anita

Johnston, Hannah

Jarman, Rebecca

Jeyaseelan, Deepa

Chan, Yee Pei

Johansen, Kimberly

Finch, Sue

2019-05-27

To determine health practitioners' experience of using the culturally adapted Ages and Stages Questionnaire - Talking about Raising Aboriginal Kids (ASQ-TRAK) and the Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3 (ASQ-3) with Australian Aboriginal families and their perception about parents' acceptability and understanding of the instruments. We surveyed a convenience sample of practitioners who had used both the ASQ-TRAK and the ASQ-3 developmental screening tools with Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory and South Australia. We compared their experience and perception about parents' acceptability and understanding of both instruments. All 38 respondents used the ASQ-3 and 35 the ASQ-TRAK; 100% rated the ASQ-TRAK as more acceptable and easier to understand for parents compared with 68% (P < 0.001) and 52.6% (P < 0.001), respectively, for the ASQ-3. A greater proportion of respondents were satisfied using the ASQ-TRAK (100%) than the ASQ-3 (65.7%) (P = 0.003). A higher proportion indicated that the ASQ-TRAK was respectful (85.3% compared with ASQ-3 27.8%, P < 0.001), culturally relevant (70.6% compared to 16.2%, P < 0.001) and engaging (76.5% compared to 16.2%, P < 0.001). Qualitative exploration of respondents' comments supported the quantitative findings. The ASQ-TRAK was considered more culturally appropriate, engaging and useful. Our findings demonstrate that the culturally adapted ASQ-TRAK is preferred to the ASQ-3 by health practitioners in the Australian Aboriginal context. Failing to address cultural and linguistic factors and applying measurement tools developed for one population to another, is problematic in any setting. While further research is required to explore parents' experience directly, these data provide support for the ASQ-TRAK to be used in this context.

Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.. Policy and Equity Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.. Menzies School of Health Research, Centre for Child Development and Education, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia..

Office of Disability, Top End Remote, Department of Health, Northern Territory Government, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia..

Centre for Disease Control, Department of Health, Royal Darwin Hospital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia..

Women's and Children's Health Network, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.. Child and Family Health Service, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia..

Women's and Children's Health Network, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia..

Women's and Children's Health Network, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia..

Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia..

Journal of paediatrics and child health 2019-05-27

0000-0001-6231-5305

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31132192/?otool=iaurydwlib

https://hdl.handle.net/10137/7598

Australian Aboriginal

child development

cross-cultural

culturally competent care

developmental screening

developmental screening tool

Practitioners' perceptions of the ASQ-TRAK developmental screening tool for use in Aboriginal children: A preliminary survey.

Journal Article

Publication