Meet the expert: D-score as a new outcome measure for child development

Welcome by Yvette Fleming, Moderator meet the experts, Senior Business Developer Child Health and Innovation for Development.

Introduction D-score by Stef van Buuren (TNO). The D-score makes it possible to provide insight into the social, cognitive and motor development of young children at a glance. But what is behind this score and what is the advantage of the uniform unit of measurement? The following topics will be discussed:

• Many instruments available – item is basic building block;
• One score that works for all instruments – use ICC for ability;
• Growth diagram for development – as standard reference;
• Use diagram for population comparisons, between groups, and track individual development, between children.

Iris Eekhout shares more about how the D-score works. Topics that will be discussed:

• Scoring is not bound to one specific tool, but universal to many instruments that assess early child development.
• Population level monitoring: GSED study to enhance D-score to a global score (brief overview of study). D-score can be used as population indicator to compare between groups.
• Programmatic evaluations: GSED SF an GSED LF, but also existing instruments to compare scores and effects measured in previous studies.
• Software: dscore package, dcalculator app.

An insight into what working with the D-score looks like in practice by Tanja Houweling and Laurens van Buren. An innovation only works when it is embedded within policy frameworks. What can the D-score mean as input for research and policy?

• How and why do we measure and monitor worldwide (population) differences in early child development with the D-score?
• How do we combine and compare assessment results from different instruments that measure early child development with the D-score?
• How can we improve monitoring and evaluation of individual child development with the D-score?

Send in your questions partners will reflect on to [email protected].

Time for questions and discussion