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Knowledge and skills about growth monitoring (GM) amongst Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs) were assessed by interview technique. Majority (94%) of subjects had correct knowledge that GM helps in early detection of growth retardation while about 83% felt that a flattened growth curve indicates no weight gain. The percentages of CDPOs who were able to interpret and read correctly about what ascending descending and flattened growth curves indicate were 83, 71 and 50% respectively. There is thus a need of in-service training of CDPOs in GM activities.
This study examined the validity of a parent-report inventory, the Child Development Inventory (CDI), as a developmental screening instrument in high-risk toddlers and preschoolers. Seventy-six children, aged 15-70 months, were assessed in a neonatal high-risk developmental follow-up clinic. The data included the completion of CDIs by parents/caregivers and developmental evaluations by a physician using either the Clinical Adaptive Test/Clinical Linguistic Auditory Milestone Scale (CAT/CLAMS) (15-35 months) or Slosson Intelligence Test (36-70 months). Analysis revealed a good level of sensitivity (true "abnormals"--73%) and specificity (true "normals"--87%) for the CDI General Development score. The findings suggested that the CDI is a valid and useful screening instrument for high-risk infants.
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In a pilot study about the rate-rerate-reliability of maternal recall of aspects of child development (pregnancy, childbirth, early childhood development) 100 mothers (mean age 35 years) answered an questionnaire twice. The mean retest interval was 12 days with a standard deviation of 6 days, the mean age of the children (54 boys, 46 girls) was 9 years. The results showed that the rate-rerate-reliability was not ever sufficient especially with regard to clinical relevance of the questions (e. g. in context with the diagnosis of brain damage). Factors influencing the rate-rerate-reliability of anamnestic date (e.g. age, sex, number of children) have been investigated: there was only one significant result. Mothers with less reliable data and great differences between their answers tend to be elder.
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether expectations about normal infant and child development are different among mothers from 4 ethnocultural groups. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred fifty-five mothers (90 Puerto Rican, 59 African American, 69 European American, 37 West Indian-Caribbean) whose children received health care at hospital-based pediatric clinics and private pediatricians' and family practitioners' offices. DESIGN: Verbally administered questionnaire that included 25 questions in which mothers were asked to give their opinions about the age at which a normal child should begin to accomplish standard developmental milestones. ANALYSIS: Responses (mean ages at which mothers expected children to attain the milestones) from each group were compared after controlling for age of mother, number of children, level of education, and socioeconomic status. RESULTS: Significant differences among ethnic groups' responses were seen for 9 of 25 developmental milestones. Differences were mainly seen among personal and social milestones, and Puerto Rican mothers tended to expect children to attain these milestones at a later age than did other mothers. No differences in responses were seen between Spanish- and English-speaking Puerto Rican mothers. European-American mothers expected children to take first steps and become toilet trained at a later age. CONCLUSIONS: Developmental expectations differ among mothers from different ethnocultural groups. Many of these differences can be explained by underlying cultural beliefs and values and specific child-rearing practices. Clinicians should ask about maternal expectations during child health visits to interpret mothers' concerns and opinions about their children's development.
Parents' reports on their children's functioning were obtained from the Minnesota Child Development Inventory (MCDI) during a review of 132 cases. These data were found to be highly correlated (r = .92) with mental ages obtained during formal psychometric evaluation. The data support the use of the MCDI as an additional tool in the assessment of clinical population of children suspected of having developmental disabilities.
The benefits for children at the Pittsburgh site of the federal Comprehensive Child Development Program (CCDP) were examined as a function of family welfare status (Aid to Families with Dependent Children; AFDC) and SES. The CCDP was the largest attempt by the federal government to provide two-generation, case-managed, comprehensive services to low-income families. Participating families could set their own goals and choose services to achieve them, but relatively few services were directed specifically at children. Results showed that more Pittsburgh families in the CCDP treatment group (N = 120) left AFDC than in the control group (N = 120), consistent with results from a national evaluation of the CCDP. Children whose families were on AFDC regardless of treatment group had lower mental test scores, even after controlling for family SES, a result suggesting that AFDC receipt over and above income level was associated with poorer child mental performance. The CCDP was associated with higher children's mental scores plus improvements over time in achievement scores only for children in families who were not on AFDC, even after controlling for SES. Such parents were more likely to choose parenting and child goals and services, which in turn were associated with higher child mental scores. In contrast, parents who were on AFDC tended to choose adult-centered goals and services, which did not benefit children. Therefore, in contrast to the national evaluation, which found no benefits of the CCDP for children, these analyses showed that the CCDP did produce benefits for children whose parents were not on AFDC, who tended to choose parenting and child services.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the validity of the Child Development Inventory (CDI) compared with other commonly used measures of developmental outcomes in high-risk infants. STUDY DESIGN: Primary caregivers of 63 toddlers and preschoolers enrolled at a routine neonatal high-risk follow-up clinic completed a CDI describing their children. Only those with successfully completed CDIs were included in the analysis (n = 43). The CDI General Development Developmental Quotient was compared with the Clinical Adaptive Test/Clinical Linguistic and Auditory Milestone Scale (CAT/CLAMS) and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, 2nd Edition (BSID-II). RESULTS: Significant correlations were found between the CDI, the CAT/CLAMS (r =.87, P <.001), and the BSID-II (r =.86, P <.001). There were no significant correlations between the CDI and parent education and income. Findings revealed high sensitivity (80% to 100%) and specificity (94% to 96%) for the CDI. CONCLUSION: The CDI appears to be a useful and cost-effective screening measure for determining developmental outcomes among high-risk infants.
This paper describes an analysis of the written information given to parents of pre-school children with developmental delay prior to their attendance at a Child Development Centre. Texts were analysed for their readability and human interest, and the usefulness of the information was assessed through consultation with parent consumers. The discussion of the results includes suggestions for staff who are involved in the development of client leaflets and booklets.
The recent increase in teenage pregnancies increases the risk of of low-birth-weight premature infants born to young mothers. Facilitative child-rearing practices, aimed at overcoming effects of perinatal stress, are being taught to middle-grade students before they become parents. Students participating in the program score higher than controls on measures of positive attitudes toward and knowledge of normal and handicapped children, hospitals, and child development.
Behavioural problems in preschool (1-4 years) children are a common cause of referral to health services. Parents of children presenting to the child development unit with behavioural problems (n = 18) were compared with a control group (n = 45). A questionnaire was utilized to examine the parents' expectations of the children's behaviours. As might be expected, the parents of children presenting to the Unit rated their children as having more difficult behaviours. These parents had unrealistic expectations, particularly for the 'negative' behaviours (disobedience, temper tantrums, defiance and whinging). However, they were able to anticipate normal age-related difficulties in some problem areas (dawdling during mealtimes, masturbating, not sharing toys and being jealous of one's siblings). Counselling should address the issue of matching the expectations of parents with the individual rates of development of their children.
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This paper investigates the association between family poverty, the level of deprivation in electoral wards and children's cognitive test scores using data from the second generation in the 1991 sweep of the British National Child Development Study (1958 birth cohort). Family poverty has a significant association with lower test scores in children of all ages (4-18 years). Neighbourhood poverty has a significant association with lower test scores in children aged 4-5 years which, though somewhat attenuated, is independent of other socioeconomic indicators. Among children aged between 6 and 9 years, the association with neighbourhood deprivation is statistically accounted for by individual characteristics. Among children aged between 10 and 18 years, levels of neighbourhood deprivation were for the most part statistically insignificant. The family poverty--test score association among children aged between 10 and 18 years was mediated by the home environment. Mediated effects were stronger for family poverty--test score associations than for neighbourhood poverty. The use of a neighbourhood-level exposure related to the social environment leads to an understanding of the social determinants of children's outcomes that is more than the sum of individual and family-level measures. However, the size of the estimated effects of neighbourhood conditions is much smaller than the estimated effects of family-level conditions. Thus, it appears that families still should be viewed as the key agents in promoting positive development in children.
Otitis media is one of the most common diseases of childhood, and the broad continuum of this disease ranges from asymptomatic middle ear effusion to recurring or persistent infection. In spite of many modalities of successful treatment, there remains a large number of children with chronic otitis media after antibiotic management and even in some persistent cases after surgical management with ventilation and tube insertion. This report attempts to concisely review the studies on the effect of otitis media on childhood development.
This article reviews the extent to which a child is placed at risk because of poverty. It looks especially at behavioral and developmental outcomes that are affected by poverty and suggests interventions to overcome any adverse effects.
We have piloted a monthly series of multidisciplinary case discussions via videoconference in the area of child development. The project provided a forum for clinical discussion of complex cases, peer review, professional development and networking for allied health professionals and paediatricians. Six sites in Queensland participated in the project; each site presented at least one case for discussion. The videoconferences ran for 90 min each and were attended by an average of 26 health professionals. The response rate for a questionnaire survey was 71%. The respondents rated the effectiveness of case summaries and the follow-up newsletter very positively. Despite some early difficulties with the technical aspects of videoconferencing, the evaluation demonstrated the participants' satisfaction with the project and its relevance to their everyday practice.