Denver II is designed to be administered to apparently healthy children aged 0-6 years. This test, which assesses a child's age-appropriate skills, is valuable in screening for developmental problems that may not be evident, confirming suspicious conditions with an objective criterion, and monitoring children at developmental risk (e.g. infants with perinatal problems). The Denver II compares the child's ability to function with peers. It is a test of development, not intelligence. It cannot be used to predict future mental or adaptive ability. It is not structured to diagnose learning disabilities, speech disorders, emotional disorders, etc. 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 people, meeting individual needs
- Fine motor-sensory: hand-eye coordination, handling objects, problem solving.
- Language: hearing, understanding, using language.
- Gross motor: sitting, walking, jumping and overall coordination ability
In addition, the 5 "Test Behavior" items completed at the end of the test help the practitioner assess how the child used his/her behaviors and abilities during the test.