Abstract
BACKGROUND: A valid and reliable measure of infant neurodevelopment is needed in Suriname, South America. The Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 3rd edition (BSID-III), was created for evaluation of United States infants and toddlers and subsequently validated for use in Dutch speaking infants of the Netherlands (BSID-III-NL). Given that Suriname was a previous Dutch colony and Dutch remains the national language of Suriname, this study sought to evaluate the psychometric properties of the BSID-III-NL in Suriname. AIMS: Given that the cultural context differs between Suriname, the United States, and the Netherlands, the aims of this study were to determine if any cultural adaptations of the BSID-III-NL were needed for Surinamese infants and to evaluate its psychometric properties. METHODS: Two hundred and ninety-nine infants between the ages of 10 to 26 months were assessed in three geographic regions of Suriname between May 2018 and July 2019. Minor adaptations to the BSID-III-NL imagery were made based on the input of Surinamese pediatricians and neuropsychologists who were also involved in the administration of the BSID-III-NL in Suriname. Raw scores were collected for the cognitive, communicative, and motor subscales of the BSID-III-NL. Factor structure was evaluated with exploratory factor analysis and cluster analysis, and reliability of internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient for each subscale. RESULTS: Content validity was endorsed by pediatricians and neuropsychologists in Suriname who participated in the administration of the BSID-III-NL. Construct validity was demonstrated through agreement of items from cluster analysis where at least 81.56% of all variability was explained by clustering with correct or incorrect responses and mean raw scores in subscales increased with age group. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was above 0.77 for all subscales. CONCLUSIONS: This internationally validated developmental measure was found to be valid and reliable in assessing neurodevelopment of infants in Suriname.