Online Developmental Assessment Inventory for Early Childhood (0–72 Months): Scale Development and Validation Study

The objective of this study is to develop a developmental assessment inventory (NEGDE) for children aged 0–72 months that is both valid and reliable. The inventory will evaluate cognitive, language, motor (gross and fine), social-emotional, and self-care domains based on parental observations. The development of the NEGDE is founded on the principles of affordability and expert independence, positioning it as an online assessment instrument that is both economical and user-friendly. NEGDE employs a norm-referenced system for the assessment of children's development, with this system being based on parental observations. Validity and reliability analyses were conducted, and descriptive statistics, item-total correlations, and Cronbach's alpha coefficients were calculated using SPSS. The gender distribution of participating children was balanced, with the highest age groups being 37–48, 49–60, and 61–72 months. The study found high reliability across all subdimensions (Cronbach's alpha = 0.974–0.985), with item-total correlations exceeding 0.30. The psychometric properties of NEGDE demonstrated strong reliability and validity. The conclusion drawn from this analysis is that NEGDE is a reliable and valid developmental assessment tool with high internal consistency and acceptable correlation values across different age groups. Its merits include low cost, accessibility, and independence from expert administration, rendering it a valuable instrument for early childhood developmental assessments.