The Denver II is designed for use with children aged 0–6 who appear healthy. This test, which assesses age-appropriate skills, is valuable for screening for developmental issues that have not yet manifested, confirming suspected cases with an objective measure, and monitoring children at developmental risk (such as infants who have experienced perinatal complications). The Denver II compares a child’s functional abilities to those of his peers. It is a developmental test, not an intelligence test. It cannot be used to predict future intellectual or adaptive abilities. It is not designed to diagnose conditions such as learning disabilities, speech disorders, or emotional disorders, and should not be used in place of a physical examination or diagnostic evaluation. The Denver II consists of 134 items organized into four sections on the test form to screen for the following developmental areas:
- Personal-Social: communicating with others, meeting individual needs
- Fine Motor-Adaptive: hand-eye coordination, ability to use objects, problem-solving
- Language: hearing, comprehension, and language use
- Gross Motor: sitting, walking, jumping, and overall coordination skills
In addition, the five “Test Behavior” items completed at the end of the test help the administrator evaluate the child’s behavior and how he utilized his abilities during the test.