The evaluation of primary school readiness levels of the children aged 66 - 72 months with the denver II test

Background: Primary school can lead to compatibility problems in children without an early childhood education because they experience separation from their families for the first time. Objectives: In order to detect developmental delays that may arise at the school and to plan the necessary support, it was aimed to determine primary school readiness levels of the children aged 66-72 months. Methods: This study included 91 children aged 66-72 months who were admitted to the Pediatric Outpatient Clinic of Beyhekim State Hospital between June 2016 and August 2016. The Denver Developmental Screening Test II which consists of 134 items was performed. The Test items are divided into four main sections and surveys whether the chilren are ready for the first grade of primary school. The test results were interpreted as normal, suspect and abnormal. Results: 36 (39.6%) of 91 patients were female and 55 (60.4%) were male. There was no statistically significant difference between the test results in terms of gender. When examining the distribution of children according to months, there was no statistically significant difference. Data for the child’s age, the mother’s age, the father’s age, duration of breastfeeding, the age (month) at which the child started talking, walking or completed toilet training was expressed as mean ± standard deviation. When these values were examined and also the mean values containing normal and abnormal results were compared, there was a statistically significant difference only between the months when the children started talking. When examining the results of the Denver II test, it was found that 64 (70.3%) children had abnormal development and 27 (29.7%) normal development. Conclusion: In the study evaluating primary school readiness levels of the children aged 66-72 months, the substantial proportion of the children who were admitted to the hospital, had a developmental delay. In light of this study, all pre-school children should be evaluated before admission to primary school.