Goodenough-Harris Drawing a Man Test (GHDAMT) as a Substitute of Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ2) for Evaluation of Cognition

OBJECTIVE: The main aim of the current research was evaluation of concurrent validity of the Goodenough–Harris Draw-A-Man Test (GHDAMT) with the problem-solving subscale of ASQ2 among children between 54-60 months old in Tabriz City, northwestern Iran. MATERIALS & METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 136 males and 105 females were selected by simple random sampling from nursery schools in Tabriz City, northwestern Iran in 2014 and tested with GHDAMT and ASQ2 to compare the concurrent validity of these tests in evaluation of cognition. Data were analyzed using Pearson or Spearman correlation coefficients and SPSS.16. RESULTS: The mean Intelligence Quotient (IQ) in girls was 128±18.18 and in boys 118±18.50, and the difference was statistically significant P<0.001. There was no statistically significant correlation between GHDAMT and ASQ2 .The statistical correlation was significant between IQ and mental age among children who had -2SD score in problem-solving subscale, but there was no statistical correlation between children who had -1SD score P<0.002. There was no statistically significant correlation between problem-solving subscale of ASQ2 and mental age and IQ. CONCLUSION: GHDAMT did not have acceptable validity and concurrent validity of the test was less than 0.3. So GHDAMT cannot be used as a substitute of ASQ questionnaire. However, the correlation of two tests in children with intellectual and developmental disability was significant. After doing more studies in further research, it is possible to use GHDAMT as a proper tool for cognition evaluation of these children.