The validation of a scale to measure cognitive development in Chinese preschool children

•The Preschool Developmental Assessment Scale cognitive sub-test is a useful measure.•Test–retest reliability and internal consistency were above .80.•The cognitive sub-test can differentiate children from different age groups.•The cognitive sub-test can differentiate children with different developmental status.•The cognitive sub-test correlated positively with WPPSI-R.

The present study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the cognitive sub-test of the Preschool Developmental Assessment Scale (PDAS) for Hong Kong Chinese children. Participants included 378 children (189 boys and 189 girls) aged 3–6 years old, with 324 children with typical development and 54 children with developmental disabilities. They were administered the cognitive sub-test of the PDAS and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence – Revised (WPPSI-R). The PDAS cognitive sub-test total scores correlated positively with the WPPSI-R scores. It could differentiate children from different age groups, with younger children attaining significantly lower scores than older children. The sub-test could also differentiate children with typical development from those with developmental disabilities, with the latter attaining significantly lower scores. The sensitivity and specificity were around 80%. Internal consistency (KR-20) was .93 and test–retest reliability was .81. The cognitive sub-test of the PDAS was found to be a promising screening tool for the identification of preschool children with developmental disabilities.