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 < 0.001) with Japanese Ages and Stages Questionnaire scores. Interpretation The parent/caregiver‐completed ESSENCE‐Q is useful as a tool for screening out children with neurotypical development at this early age. Further research into longer‐term predictive validity will be possible as more NDD diagnoses are given as the children grow up.