Background: Early identification and intervention for infants and young children with
developmental delays may negate or minimise the negative effect of a disability on a
child's development. Poor follow-up on early detection referrals, however,
undermines the effectiveness of early intervention programmes. Objectives: To
identify factors, including text message reminders, that influence follow-up
adherence for early intervention after developmental screening in primary health
care. A secondary objective surveyed reasons for follow-up default. Methods: The
PEDS Tools was used to screen 247 high-risk children. A risk assessment
questionnaire was completed with caregivers whose children were referred for
speech-language and/or occupational therapy (n=106, 43%). A quasi-experimental
study was employed to identify risk factors for defaulting on appointments. A
thematic analysis of telephonic interviews was also employed to determine reasons
for follow-up defaults. Results: Follow-up adherence was 17%. Participants who
were divorced, widowed or never married were 2.88 times more likely to attend a
follow-up appointment than those who were married or living together (95%, CI 0.97-
8.63). Text message reminders did not significantly improve follow-up. More than
half (58%) of participants who defaulted on appointments could be reached for
telephonic interviews. During the telephonic interviews 87% of participants did not
report concern about their child's development. Reasons for defaulting were
employment, logistical issues, other responsibilities and forgetfulness.
Conclusions: Detecting possible developmental delays did not lead to acceptable
follow-up adherence for early intervention services at primary health care levels.
Increased awareness and education regarding the importance of development for
educational success is needed. / Dissertation (M Communication Pathology)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / MCommunication Pathology / Unrestricted
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:up/oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/60420 |
| Date | January 2016 |
| Creators | Schoeman, Joanne Christine |
| Contributors | Swanepoel, De Wet, joanneschoeman@gmail.com, Van der Linde, Jeannie |
| Publisher | University of Pretoria |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Rights | © 2017 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
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