Referral profile of a child development clinic in northern India

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Neurology
• Developmental Pediatrics
• Public Health

Background:

• Child Development Clinics (CDCs) are crucial for diagnosing and managing developmental disorders in children.
• Understanding the profile of children referred to CDCs is essential for resource allocation and service planning, particularly in developing countries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the demographic and clinical features of children referred to a tertiary care Child Development Clinic in India.
• To establish baseline data for future service planning for children with developmental disabilities in the region.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective analysis of medical records was conducted for children referred to the CDC in 2009.
• The study included 641 children with complete medical records from the initial 792 referrals.

Main Results:

• The study population comprised 66% males with a mean age of referral of 54.06 months.
• A significant majority (68.64%) had global developmental delay or mental retardation, with over half experiencing severe or profound intellectual disability.
• Cerebral palsy affected 26.2% of children, and 18.9% had pervasive developmental disorders, while isolated motor delay and language disorders were less common.

Conclusions:

• Developing countries see a high proportion of children with severe, disabling conditions referred to CDCs.
• Pervasive developmental disorders represent a substantial portion of referrals, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions.
• The findings provide essential baseline data for enhancing child development services in the authors' region.