A study to evaluate the performance of black South African urban infants on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development III

Background. A suitable tool is needed to assess child development in South Africa (SA). Using Western normed tools presents difficulties. Aim. To determine whether the Bayley Scales of Infant Development III (Bayley-III) can be used on black African urban infants in SA. Method. One hundred and twenty-two black African infants in Gauteng, SA, were assessed using the Bayley-III. Results. Overall the SA mean score was 103.4, which is statistically significantly higher (p=0.0007) than the mean of 100 for the USA. For subtests, the mean score was 99.7 for the cognitive, 106.8 for the language and 103.5 for the motor subtests as opposed to 100 for the USA. Conclusion. The results of this study showed that SA scores were statistically significantly higher than the US norms. Clinically, however, the difference is small when one considers the variability of development. Recommendation. The Bayley-III is a suitable tool for use on the black urban African population in Gauteng, SA. S Afr J CH 2013;7(2):54-59. DOI:10.7196/SAJCH.547