The Sensitivity and Specificity of the Korean-Infant and Toddler Checklist in Screening for Developmental Language Delay in Infants and Toddlers

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the validity of the Korean-infant and toddler checklist (K-ITC) in screening for developmental language delay through analysis of sensitivity and specificity.Methods: Participants were 39 infants with developmental language delay aged 6-24 months, and 39 typically developing infants matched for chronological age. Total scores and scores from three domains (social, speech, and symbolic) of the K-ITC were compared between the two groups using independent samples t-tests. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted to assess the sensitivity and specificity of each score, confirming the validityResults: Infants with developmental language delay scored significantly lower than typically developing infants on the social and speech domains of the K-ITC, but not on the symbolic domain. ROC analysis indicated significant area under the curve (AUC) values for total scores and scores from each domain, with sensitivity of 95% for total scores and 87.18% for domain scores, and specificity of 64.10% for total scores. Sensitivity was notably higher compared to specificityConclusion: This study confirms that the K-ITC exhibits high sensitivity as a screening tool for developmental language delay in infants, demonstrating validity in significantly identifying developmental delays in infants and toddlers.