Caregivers' knowledge of cognitive and language development in early childhood

Introduction. Child development is a complex process influenced by genetic and environmental factors. An enriching linguistic environment is fundamental for cognitive development and language learning in the first years of life. Objective. To describe caregivers' knowledge of cognitive and language development of children under 5 years of age. Population and methods. Cross-sectional, analytical study. Caregivers of children under the age of 5 years who attended the offices of a pediatric hospital during January-March. A self-administered survey, the Survey of Parent/Provider Expectations and Knowledge (SPEAK), probes caregivers' knowledge of cognitive and language development. Demographic characteristics were explored. A univariate descriptiveanalysis was performed for each variable, and a bivariate analysis was conducted using demographic data as predictor variables and the total survey score as the outcome variable. Results. The median global score obtained in the SPEAK survey was 31 (interquartile range 26-34), out of a maximum possible 54 points. The analysis revealed a significant association between the caregiver's educational level and their knowledge of child development (r = 0.211; p = 0.012). Conclusion. The population studied presented an intermediate level of knowledge about language and cognitive development in early childhood. An association was found between a higher level of education and greater knowledge of development.