Prematurity is associated with poor neurodevelopmental outcomes, and laws mandate the provision of early intervention services to those infants with disability. However, it is often difficult to identify early which infants would benefit most from these services. The Neurobiologic Risk Score (NBRS) and the Neurodevelopmental Risk Exam (NRE) are instruments used to assess infants at near-term corrected age. These instruments have been shown to correlate with later developmental outcomes. However, the environment of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) has changed since the NBRS and NRE were first validated, and it is not known whether they are still able to accurately predict future developmental outcomes. The objective of this study was therefore to examine the ability of the NBRS and NRE, both alone and in combination with socio-economic variables, to predict future developmental outcomes in the contemporary NICU. The subjects were 219 neonates of less than 32 weeks' gestational age discharged from the NICU between November 2001 and December 2006 who had undergone both the NBRS and NRE. Infants were assessed at chronological age 6, 12 and 24 months, with developmental quotients being assigned at these ages. Parental socio-economic data were also collected and analysed. The hypothesis was that the NBRS and NRE would be less effective at predicting neurodevelopmental outcomes in the contemporary NICU. The best measure of future developmental outcome is likely to need to include both neurobiological and socio-economic risk factors.

This study investigated the efficacy of a parent questionnaire as a component for screening early language development of children 16 to 30 months of age with cleft lip and palate. Thirty nonsyndromic children with cleft lip and palate and 30 children without clefts received the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory: Toddler (CDI:Toddler), administered by a pediatrician. In addition, a speech-language screening was performed by a speech-language pathologist. Results of the two assessments indicated that the CDI:Toddler was a valid screener of language development when compared with a comprehensive speech-language screening. Language and speech characteristics of the subject populations are discussed. In particular, differences between the cleft and noncleft groups demonstrated evidence of delays in expressive language development in the children with cleft lip and palate.

The Chinese government has announced the 2013 Guidelines for developing a national system for early detection of disability among children under 6 years of age. However, given limited resources, challenges exist with developmental measures required in the 2013 Guidelines. In order to meet the needs for a more accurate and cost-efficient measure for developmental assessment, the Ages & Stages Questionnaires:INVENTORY was translated into Simplified Chinese, and validated on a regional sample of 812 Chinese children ages from 1-25 months. Psychometric properties were examined; data from previous studies on the ASQ:INVENTORY in the U.S. were compared to identify differences between the two countries. Results indicated that the Chinese ASQ:INVENTORY was an instrument with sufficient internal consistency, reliability and validity. It was well accepted by parents and professionals in China. Findings suggested that the Chinese ASQ:INVENTORY provides a promising alternative measure for screening and diagnosing developmental delays in young children in China. Implications for future research and implementation are discussed.

Introduction: A population especially overlooked in early childhood development research is the ‘missing-middle’, predominantly represented by middle-income, urban populations. Research typically focuses on populations that are either from lower- or upper socioeconomic classes. Insight into the risks, protective factors, and developmental outcomes of children from middle-income populations is needed to guide the implementation and customisation of early intervention policies and services. Aim: The study aimed to describe the developmental outcomes of young children aged six to 24 months from an urban, middle-income setting in South Africa using a descriptive correlational research design. Method: The Vineland-3 was used to describe the developmental outcomes of 55 children between six to 24 months, from an urban, middle-income setting in South Africa. The mHealth PEDS was used to identify caregivers’ concerns regarding their children’s development. Results: Caregivers’ concerns were positively associated (φ = 0.355; p = .024) with their children’s overall developmental outcomes, emphasising their valuable contribution in early identification of developmental delays. Fifteen percent (n = 8) of participants’ children presented with developmental delays, with low birth weight identified as a significant developmental risk (p = .011). Within this sample population, higher maternal education was identified as a significant protective factor (p = 0.16). Conclusion: Developmental delays, risks, strengths and protective factors exist within an urban, middle-income South African setting. Early childhood development can be promoted in all income settings by using baby wellness clinics as a point of access to identify children at risk for developmental delays through caregiver-led developmental screening. Prioritising early childhood development across different socioeconomic classes will help ensure that all children reach their full developmental potential. / Dissertation (MA (Speech-Language Pathology))--University of Pretoria, 2021. / National Research Foundation (NRF) / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / MA (Speech-Language Pathology) / Unrestricted

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:46:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 3877.pdf: 2400353 bytes, checksum: b0a1a90a284eb70b6b110dd781504b69 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-04-25 / Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais / This paper aimed to determine the contribution of development screening instrument in the reporting from parents on child assessment accomplished in the Family Health Program. Thereunto it was proposed the following specific objectives: 1) to locate a screening tool for development in the literature, appointed by it as the most relevant and appropriate, based on reports from parents, in order to identify possible signs of risk for the development (step 1), 2) to verify types of notes in medical records (step 2) and if nature of these notes changes after doctors had knowledge of the research objectives (step 3), 3) to verify if there is a discrepancy among information contained in records of the child and those provided by the instrument from reported information by the person responsible for implementation of the instrument (step 4), 4) to evaluate, with physicians and nurses from the Family Health Program, the contribution of introducing an assessment of development based on evaluation of parents to identify signs of risk in development (step 5). Participated this research five doctors, five nurses, 60 parents/ children‟s guardians aged zero to two years attended in five units from Family Health Program. In step 1, through documentary research, it was selected an existent tool on the literature for screening of child development. The steps 2 and 3 were to medical records analysis of 12 children attended in each unit (60 records at each step) in a period before and after (respectively) of knowledge research objectives by doctors. In step 4, it was conducted interviews with families and application of instrument selected with parents / guardians of 12 children attended in each unit. In step five, doctors and nurses were interviewed about the adequacy and functionality of the instrument. It analyzed qualitative and quantitative results according previously defined with classes of response, categories and subcategories. It was hoped thereby to verify the utility of this practice in the Family Health Units and thus it contribute to the early detection of children‟s development delays in public health system. As a result of step 1 was accomplished an adaptation of the instrument defined "File Monitoring of Development" proposed by the Health Ministry. In steps 2 and 3 can be observed prevalence of health complaints and medical behaviors also related to health in medical records and there was no difference in the nature of medical notes after the knowledge of the goals of searching for them. In step 4, the results showed that 38 of 60 (63.34%) children who didn‟t show a normal development for their age, their medical records didn‟t have any information regarding the risk/delay detected by the instrument. And in step 5, 66.67% of respondents said that information provided by parents had to be considered complementary to the evaluation of the child, because in most cases, weren‟t totally reliable information. However, everybody reported to be possible to introduce into the routine of the Family Health Program evaluation procedures of child development, even with existence of some difficulties, this practice is keeping fundamental importance in child health. / Este trabalho teve como objetivo geral verificar a contribuição de instrumento de triagem do desenvolvimento no relato dos pais na avaliação infantil realizada em Programas de Saúde da Família. Para isso foram propostos os seguintes objetivos específicos: 1) localizar um instrumento de triagem de desenvolvimento na literatura, apontado por ela como o mais relevante e adequado, baseado no relato dos pais, de modo a identificar possíveis sinais de risco para o desenvolvimento (etapa 1); 2) verificar os tipos de anotações nos prontuários médicos (etapa 2) e se a natureza dessas anotações muda após os médicos terem o conhecimento dos objetivos da pesquisa (etapas 3); 3) verificar se há ou não discrepância entre as informações contidas no prontuário da criança e as fornecidas pelo instrumento a partir das informações relatadas pelo responsável durante a aplicação do instrumento (etapa 4); 4) avaliar, junto aos médicos e enfermeiros dos Programas de Saúde da Família, a contribuição de se introduzir uma avaliação de desenvolvimento baseada na avaliação dos pais para identificação de sinais de risco no desenvolvimento (etapa 5). Participaram desta pesquisa cinco médicos, cinco enfermeiras, 60 pais/responsáveis de crianças de zero a dois anos atendidas em cinco Unidades do Programa de Saúde da Família. Na etapa 1, por meio de pesquisa documental, selecionou-se um instrumento existente na literatura para triagem do desenvolvimento infantil. As etapas 2 e 3 consistiram na análise de prontuários de 12 crianças atendidas em cada Unidade (60 prontuários em cada etapa) em um período anterior e posterior (respectivamente) do conhecimento dos objetivos da pesquisa pelos médicos. Na etapa 4 foram realizadas as entrevistas com as famílias e a aplicação do instrumento selecionado com pais/responsáveis de 12 crianças atendidas em cada Unidade. Na etapa 5 os médicos e as enfermeiras foram entrevistados sobre a adequação e a funcionalidade do instrumento. Foram realizadas análises quantitativa e qualitativa dos resultados de acordo com classes de resposta, categorias e subcategorias previamente definidas. Esperou-se com isso verificar a utilidade dessa prática nas Unidades de Saúde da Família e assim contribuir para a detecção precoce de atrasos de desenvolvimento infantil na rede de saúde pública. Como resultado da etapa 1 foi realizada uma adaptação do instrumento definido Ficha de Acompanhamento do Desenvolvimento proposto pelo Ministério da Saúde. Nas etapas 2 e 3 pode-se observar a prevalência de queixas relacionadas à saúde e de condutas médicas também relacionadas à saúde nos prontuários médicos e não houve diferença na natureza das anotações médicas após o conhecimento dos objetivos da pesquisa por eles. Na etapa 4, os resultados mostraram que 38 de 60 (63,34%) crianças que não apresentaram um desenvolvimento normal para a idade, não possuíam em seus prontuários nenhuma informação à respeito do risco/atraso detectado pelo instrumento. E na etapa 5, 66,67% dos entrevistados afirmaram que as informações fornecidas pelos pais tinham que ser consideradas complementares à avaliação da criança, pois, na maioria das vezes, não eram informações totalmente confiáveis. Porém, todos relataram ser possível inserir na rotina dos Programas de Saúde da Família procedimentos de avaliação do desenvolvimento infantil, mesmo com a existência de algumas dificuldades, sendo tal prática de fundamental importância na saúde infantil.