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Detecting and addressing developmental and behavioral problems in primary care
1Division of Child Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Insights
Early detection of developmental and behavioral problems in children is crucial. The Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) tool aids clinicians in identifying children needing intervention, improving long-term outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric primary care
- Developmental pediatrics
- Behavioral health
Background:
- Pediatric primary care clinicians aim to detect developmental and behavioral issues.
- Fewer than 30% of children with disabilities are identified by healthcare providers, delaying crucial early intervention.
- Early intervention significantly improves outcomes like high school graduation and employment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the importance of early detection of developmental and behavioral problems in children.
- To introduce effective tools for identifying children with disabilities in primary care settings.
- To present the Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) as a key instrument for clinical decision-making.
Main Methods:
- Review of research on the detection of developmental and behavioral problems in pediatric primary care.
- Focus on parent-reported measures for their flexibility, brevity, and accuracy.
- Evaluation of the Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) tool.
Main Results:
- Parent-based measures are effective in detecting developmental and behavioral issues.
- The Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) is a brief, evidence-based tool.
- PEDS assists clinicians in determining appropriate actions: referral, screening, advising, reassuring, or further observation.
Conclusions:
- Effective tools are available to improve the detection rates of developmental and behavioral problems in children.
- The Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) empowers clinicians to make informed decisions for early intervention.
- Improved detection and intervention through tools like PEDS can lead to better long-term life outcomes for children with disabilities.
Abstract:
Pediatric primary care clinicians usually offer a range of in-office services designed to detect and address developmental and behavioral problems. Research suggests that selecting among these services is difficult because fewer than 30% of children with disabilities are detected by their health care providers. Undetected children fail to receive early intervention, which has substantive benefits in improving high school graduation and employment rates, and reducing teen pregnancy and criminal activities. Fortunately, many recently published tools help detect the majority of children with problems. Measures relying on information from parents are flexible, brief, and accurate. One of the briefest tools. Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS), also offers an evidenced-based approach that helps clinicians decide when to refer, screen, advise, or reassure families or observe children more carefully over time.