Children's Developmental Behavior Scale & DQ Explained
A plain-language guide to the national Children's Developmental Behavior Assessment Scale (Erxin Scale-II, WS/T 580-2017): 261 items, 5 domains, how the Developmental Quotient (DQ) is calculated, score bands, and why it must be administered by trained professionals rather than self-tested online.
What is it?
The Erxin Scale-II is a national health industry standard published in 2017 (WS/T 580-2017), drafted by the Capital Institute of Pediatrics and others. It assesses the developmental behavior level of children aged 0-6 (under 7). The full scale has 261 test items across five domains: gross motor, fine motor, language, adaptive ability, and social behavior. It is a diagnostic-level tool — it answers not "roughly on track?" but "at exactly what developmental level is this child?"
What the scale measures: five domains
Each age group has 8-10 test items, each belonging to one domain. Together, the five domains describe the child's overall developmental level.
Gross Motor
Body posture and head balance, plus the ability to sit, crawl, stand, walk, run and jump.
Fine Motor
The ability to use the fingers, such as grasping, pinching and fingertip manipulation.
Language
The ability to understand and express language, including listening, speaking, naming and expression.
Adaptive Ability
The ability to respond and adapt to the surrounding natural environment and social demands.
Social Behavior
The ability to interact with people around them and to take care of themselves.
How the Developmental Quotient (DQ) is calculated
DQ is the core metric of mental development. It compares the child's mental age with their chronological age.
The DQ formula
DQ = mental age ÷ chronological age × 100
Example: a child is actually 2 years old (24 months) and reaches a mental age of 18 months on testing, so DQ = 18 ÷ 24 × 100 = 75. Mental age is derived month by month: the more items passed at higher age levels, the higher the mental age.
| Developmental Quotient (DQ) | Rating |
|---|---|
| >130 | Excellent |
| 110-129 | Good |
| 80-109 | Average |
| 70-79 | Borderline low |
| <70 | Intellectual disability |
Testing procedure & usage requirements
The scale has strict administration standards: the environment, examiner qualifications and testing sequence all matter, and results must be interpreted alongside the child's overall situation.
Professional testing procedure
- 1. Calculate the exact chronological age (to 0.1 months) and determine the primary testing age group.
- 2. Starting from the primary age group, test 2 months forward and 2 months backward in each domain.
- 3. Record passed (○) and failed (×) items, score each domain and sum up the mental age.
- 4. A trained examiner interprets the results together with the child's overall situation.
Why it cannot be self-tested online
The Erxin Scale is a diagnostic tool with strict professional requirements:
- It requires a standardized test kit and professional environment that home settings cannot replicate.
- Examiners must be professionally trained and qualified; both administration and judgment are regulated.
- Hints, cues or prompting from parents during testing can distort the results.
When it is used
- When screening during health checkups finds suspicious or abnormal development that needs further confirmation.
- When parenting-risk factors persist without improvement, or developmental delay is suspected and a special assessment is needed.
- When arranged and administered by child health or specialist medical institutions — not self-administered by parents.
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Child Development Scale — Full Item Table
Browse the complete assessment items by age: 30 age groups, 261 items across five domains, with R/* notation.
This page is for educational purposes only and does not constitute diagnosis or medical advice. The Erxin Scale-II is a diagnostic tool that must be administered by trained healthcare professionals in a standardized environment. If you have concerns about your child's development, consult a child health or specialist medical institution.