Validity of the ESSENCE‐Q neurodevelopmental screening tool in Japan

Aim To assess the validity of the Early Symptomatic Syndromes Eliciting Neurodevelopmental Clinical Examinations–Questionnaire (ESSENCE‐Q), a simple screening tool for neurodevelopmental problems, in Japan. Method Parents/caregivers completed the 11‐item ESSENCE‐Q for 77 612 children aged 2 years 6 months included in a national birth cohort study. Information about neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs: autism spectrum disorder; intellectual disability and/or developmental language disorder; motor delay/motor disorder) was collected at age 3 years. Each ESSENCE‐Q item was scored on a binary (0,1) scale, with a total score range of 0 to 11. Total scores and individual items were compared across children with and without NDDs. Results NDDs were recorded in 854 children (1.1%). With a total ESSENCE‐Q score cut‐off of ≥3, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed an area under the curve of 0.91, with sensitivity 84.9%, specificity 84.8%, positive predictive value 5.9%, and negative predictive value 99.8%. The proportion of parental concerns at 2 years 6 months differed significantly by NDD status for communication (89.5% vs 14.2%) and general development (80.2% vs 7.4%). ESSENCE‐Q total scores were moderately negatively correlated (−0.36, p