Early Intervention for Developmental Delay
Year: 2021
Type: article
Abstract: Dear Editor, Children's Developmental Delays, Disorders, its early identification and interventions are constantly acknowledged in Indian literatures.[1] The main focus is to enhance the normal child development, early identification of developmental delays and disorders. "Excellent early intervention services can modify the child's developmental path and improve outcomes for children, families, and societies."[2] Parents and caregivers need to be emphasized to participate in the early stimulation and intervention programs. The nurses play a major role in teaching physical and mental health in the antenatal and postnatal period, this influence the health and well-being of the baby before and after the birth. Parents should be taught by the health-care workers to promote the children's' development, as from the scientific perspective.[3] "Sensory Motor Stimulations" are the most cost-effective and integral part of the "Early Intervention program," further there was a positive link found between early stimulation and child development, parental self-efficacy, and developmental progress in the young children.[4] "Inadequate parenting" and poor stimulations may lead to developmental disturbance in the children.[5] The literatures indicate that teaching the early intervention concepts to the parents of young children can improve their parenting skills,[6] such interventions can improve "quality of life" and progress cognitive, motor, and social development in the children further reduce the "Neurodevelopmental Delays and Disabilities."[7] Parents can stimulate all the developmental domains of the child through the multisensory stimulation.[8] Parent or caregiver can stimulate the child by focus on eye-to-eye contact, touching, making sound, facial movements, teasing, stroking, gentle massage, gentle tilting. The child should be shown colorful clothing, ribbon, balloons, and toys. Whispering, playing melody, parallel tones, mild applause etc., must be introduced to the child.[7] Nurses can impart training to the parents about importance of gross and fine motor stimulation in children such as positioning, "Early Tummy Time," support sitting, creeping and crawling, supported walking, passive and active exercises for all the joints, encouraging the child to perform grasping, holding, pincer grasping, pulling, and pushing. Further, nurses can educate the parents regarding early language and communication stimulation for the children such as, making sounds of bracelets, bangles, bells, animals, and talking continuously as a daily routine. This will help the child to get improved with language and communication quickly. Importance of early social stimulation such as imitation, pointing, joint attention, and "Mother-Child Games like Peek-a-Boo" and its cultural adaptations need to be encouraged. To promote the child's cognitive skills, parents can introduce the concept of sizes, shape, consistency, colors of the objects to the children. Parents should repeat these activities during the daily schedules such as bathing, dressing, and any other activities.[7] Nurses need to recognize the child's and parental needs and abilities to arrange the "Parent Mediated Training Program" on early intervention. In general, nurses shall help the parents to get orient about "Parent Self Help Group" and child health-care facilities to make good use of community services and available resources to overcome the psychosocial issues and burden.[9] In conclusion, the data suggest that early interventions, stimulations, specialized medical care, and the use of appropriate equipment are the important factors to help the growing children to achieve maximum developmental benefits. Early intervention programs can be effectively incorporated into early childhood development programs through Parent Mediated Training. Nurses are found to be in the appropriate place to enhance the parental skills in providing early intervention program for the children with or at risk of having developmental delays and disorders. Financial support and sponsorship Nil. Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts of interest.
Authors: Radhakrishnan Govindan, Rajalakshmi Ramu
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4386549685