Identifying what is developmentally normal for young children and what is not can lead to earlier interventions and better outcomes. Until recently, Brazilians lacked a formal means to effectively monitor children’s developmental trajectories and flag those with possible delays. To close this critical assessment gap, researchers from Brazil teamed with Nebraska methodologists to build a new screening tool to help early childhood practitioners detect delays more reliably and take appropriate steps to address children’s needs.

The Dimensional Inventory for Child Development Assessment (IDADI) is the first such tool to be developed and standardized specifically for children in Brazil — taking into account the unique culture and experiences of the target population.