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Effect of Child Development Centre model early stimulation among at risk babies--a randomized controlled trial
M K C Nair1, Elsie Philip, L Jeyaseelan
1Child Development Centre, Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram 695 011, Kerala, India. nairmkc@rediffmail.com
Insights
Early stimulation therapy using the Child Development Centre (CDC) model significantly improved developmental outcomes in at-risk neonates. These benefits for infant development persisted through two years of age.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal development
- Pediatric therapy
- Early intervention programs
Background:
- At-risk neonates require targeted interventions to optimize developmental trajectories.
- Early postnatal stimulation can mitigate potential developmental delays.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of the Child Development Centre (CDC) model early stimulation therapy.
- To assess the impact of this therapy on at-risk neonates' development at one and two years of age.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 800 at-risk neonates.
- Intervention group received home-based CDC model early stimulation therapy.
- Control group received routine postnatal care.
Main Results:
- The intervention group showed significantly higher Mental Developmental Index (MDI) and Psychomotor Developmental Index (PDI) scores at one and two years.
- Adjusted analysis revealed higher Bayley scores in the intervention group (5.8 units at 1 year, 2.8 units at 2 years).
Conclusions:
- Child Development Centre (CDC) model early stimulation therapy is effective in improving neonatal development.
- The positive effects of the therapy were sustained up to two years of age without further intervention.
Objective:
To study the effectiveness of Child Development Centre (CDC) model early stimulation therapy done in the first year of postnatal life, in improving the developmental outcome of at-risk neonates at one and two years of age.
Design:
Randomized controlled trial.
Setting And Subjects:
The study participants included a consecutive sample of 800 babies discharged alive from the level II nursery of Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram.
Intervention:
The control group received routine postnatal check-up as per hospital practice. Intervention group in addition received CDC model early stimulation therapy (home-based).
Results:
The intervention group of babies had a statistically significant higher score for mental developmental index (MDI) and psychomotor developmental index (PDI) at one and two years of age. After adjusting all significant risk factors for development, the babies who had intervention had significantly higher Bayley scores, 5.8 units at one year and 2.8 units at two year, as compared to control babies.
Conclusion:
Early stimulation therapy was effective at one year. The beneficial effect also persisted at two years, without any additional interventions in the second year.
