How is the CREDI similar and different from the Global Scales of Early Development (GSED) being developed by the WHO?
The CREDI team has been directly involved with the development of the GSED, and the CREDI's conceptual framework, item set, and data were used to directly inform the GSED. As such, the tools share a number of common features. In particular, both tools are intended to measure the development of children under age three years in global settings.
There are, however, several key differences between the tools. First, the GSED Long Form includes items administered directly to the child by a trained assessor (i.e., direct assessment) and is therefore not directly comparable to either the CREDI Short Form or the CREDI Long Form (which are both caregiver-reported).
The GSED Short Form is exclusively caregiver-reported and therefore more comparable to the CREDI. The main difference between the CREDI and the GSED Short Form is that the CREDI Long Form produces domain-specific scores in motor, language, cognitive, and social-emotional development, as well as an overall development score. The GSED Short Form, however, produces only an overall development score.
There are also several other differences in terms of the tools' format. The GSED Short Form is approximately the same length as the CREDI Long Form, and both tools use start/stop rules. The CREDI Short Form is somewhat shorter than the GSED Short Form, and uses a fixed set of 20 items per child. The CREDI also uses line drawings to support the implementation of some of the items, whereas the GSED Short Form includes line drawings, as well as video and audio files.
| CREDI Short Form | CREDI Long Form | GSED Short Form | GSED Long Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Reporter | Caregiver-report | Caregiver-report | Caregiver-report | Direct assessment |
Length | 5 minutes | 10-15 minutes | 10-15 minutes | 30-45 minutes |
Audio-visuals | Line drawings | Line drawings | Line drawings, videos, audio | Line drawings, videos, audio |
Scores produced | Overall development | Domain-specific scores (motor, lang, cog, soc-emo) + Overall development | Overall development | Overall development |
In conclusion, if users (1) want a tool that is caregiver-reported, (2) want domain-specific scores, (3) want a very short assessment, and/or (4) do not have the capacity to use audio/video files, then the CREDI may be a better fit than the GSED.
Please note that the CREDI Scoring App now also produces a "D-score," which is the same type of score produced by the GSED. (This is possible because the CREDI and GSED Short Form share a number of common items.) With this D-score, users can directly compare scores from the CREDI and GSED.