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The agreement of caregivers' initial identification of children's developmental problems with the professional
Ling-Yi Lin1, Rong-Ju Cherng, I-Chin Lee
1Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, and Department of Otorhinolaryngology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Taiwan.
Insights
Caregivers accurately identified global and motor delays in children, but struggled with cognitive and speech issues. Foreign-born mothers and those with lower socioeconomic status (SSI) were more prone to misidentifying developmental problems.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Child Psychology
- Healthcare Disparities
Background:
- Accurate identification of developmental problems in children is crucial for timely medical intervention.
- Caregiver perception plays a significant role in the initial detection of developmental concerns.
- Variability exists in the ease of identifying different types of developmental issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the concordance between caregiver identification of developmental problems and clinical assessments by a multidisciplinary team.
- To explore factors influencing the accuracy of caregiver identification of pediatric developmental issues.
- To inform targeted support strategies for caregivers of children with developmental concerns.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 943 children (2-80 months) presenting with suspected developmental problems at a medical center in Taiwan.
- Caregivers were interviewed regarding the primary reason for seeking assessment.
- Clinical assessments were conducted by a team including pediatric neurologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, and therapists (occupational, physical, speech).
Main Results:
- High agreement was observed between caregivers and professionals in identifying global and motor developmental domains.
- Lower agreement was found in the cognitive and speech/language developmental domains.
- Caregiver's native origin (foreign-born mothers) and socioeconomic status index (SSI) were significantly associated with identification accuracy, with lower SSI and foreign origin linked to misidentification.
Conclusions:
- While caregivers demonstrate good recognition of gross motor and general developmental issues, there are significant gaps in identifying cognitive and speech/language delays.
- Pediatric practitioners should consider cultural background and socioeconomic factors when evaluating caregiver concerns.
- Continuing education for caregivers, particularly focusing on cognitive and speech/language development, is recommended to improve early detection rates.
Abstract:
Children's developmental problems vary, with some easier to identify than others. The accuracy of caregivers' initial identification of children's developmental problems is important in the timely treatment of those problems by medical professionals. In this study, we investigated the degree to which caregivers' initial identification of children's developmental problems matched the clinical assessment by a team of qualified professionals in a developmental assessment unit of a medical center in Taiwan. The practitioners included a pediatric neurologist, a psychiatrist, a psychologist, an occupational therapist, a physical therapist, and two speech therapists. Caregivers of 943 children (age range: 2-80 months; mean: 37.7 months) who visited the unit for a suspected developmental problem were interviewed about the chief problem that led to the caregivers bringing their children to the unit. The results showed high agreement in the global and the motor domains between the caregivers and the professionals, and low agreement in the cognitive and the speech/language domains. The agreement was significantly related to the caregivers' native origin and socioeconomic status index (SSI). Caregivers with a foreign origin (immigrant mothers) and low SSI were more likely to misidentify their children's problems. It is recommended that pediatric practitioners offer continuing education to caregivers, especially in the domains of cognitive and speech/language development.
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