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Physician early intervention referral as a function of child age and level of developmental delay
Insights
Child age and developmental delay significantly impact consultation and referral requests. Education and psychological consultations were moderately requested, with many avoiding school referrals.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatric Healthcare
Background:
- Understanding factors influencing healthcare consultations and referrals for children with developmental delays is crucial.
- Previous research has not fully explored the combined impact of child age and delay severity on service utilization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how child age (20 vs. 40 months) and developmental delay severity (mild vs. severe) affect requests for consultations and referrals.
- To identify patterns in consultation types and school referral likelihood.
Main Methods:
- A 2x2 factorial design was employed.
- Participants' requests for consultations and referrals were analyzed based on child's age and delay severity.
Main Results:
- Significant main effects of both child age and level of developmental delay were observed.
- Requests for educational and psychological consultations were generally low to moderate.
- Approximately 25% of respondents indicated they were unlikely to make a school referral.
Conclusions:
- Child age and developmental delay severity are key determinants of healthcare service utilization.
- Healthcare providers may need targeted strategies to encourage appropriate consultations and school referrals for children with developmental delays.
- Findings suggest a need for improved continuing medical education and further research in this area.
Abstract:
A 2 x 2 factorial design was used to examine the effects of child age (20 and 40 months) and level of developmental delay (mild and severe) on requests for consultations and referrals. Significant main effects for age and level of delay were found. Requests for education and psychological consultations were in the low to moderate range, and one fourth of the respondents were not likely to make a school referral. Implications for future research and continuing medical education were discussed.