164
Posters Advancing Comprehensive Early Childhood Intervention
Session 2
ECI SERVICE DELIVERY Topic - Screening, Assessment, Identification, Referral
p2.37 Identifying Developmental Delays in Montenegro Using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire Presenting Author: Danijela Femic (Montenegro)
Affiliation: Health Care Center Bijelo Polje Co-Authors: Julija Boskovic, Mirjana Varagic
In Montenegro, there is a pressing need for improved identification and support for children with developmental delays. A recent situation analysis highlighted gaps in early detection and insufficient collaboration among health, education, and social services, particularly impacting at-risk children. From July 2023 to October 2024, the Health Care Center Bijelo Polje implemented the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) to assess the development of 622 children aged 0–3 years, representing 39% of all children in the municipality. The results revealed that 79% of children were within typical developmental ranges, 15% displayed developmental deviations, and 7% exhibited significant delays. Despite these findings, only 2% of families currently participate in Early Childhood Intervention programs. These findings emphasize the need to establish robust early screening systems and enhance intersectoral collaboration to support children and families across Montenegro better. p2.38 Importance of Child Development Assessment in Early Childhood Presenting Author: Eduarda Taine do Val Reis (Brazil) Affiliation: Institute of Public Health of the Federal University of Bahia Co-Authors: Darci Neves dos Santos, Zelma Freitas Soares Child development encompasses the cognitive, sensory, emotional, motor, social, and physical development of children, and is particularly accelerated during early childhood (0 to 5 years and 11 months). This period is crucial for brain development and the acquisition of fundamental skills. For this process to occur in a healthy way, it is essential to provide adequate stimuli and safe environments that favor exploration, learning and social relationships. This study highlights the importance of systematic assessment of child development as a tool to identify early delays and implement effective interventions. Studies indicate that promoting favorable conditions for development in early childhood is more effective and less costly than reversing later adversities. Countries that invest in public policies aimed at this period have achieved positive impacts, such as higher schooling, better insertion in the job market and reduction of intergenerational poverty, benefiting society as a whole. p2.39 Interaction of Motor Development and Cognition in Neuro-Risk Children: From Screening to Appropriate Level of Support Presenting Author: Jelena Spionjak (Croatia) Affiliation: Mali Dom-Day Care Center for Rehabilitation of Children and Young Adults, University of Applied Health Sciences Co-Authors: Jasminka Gagula, Ana Validzic Pozgaj Within the early intervention system, one of the important factors is the implementation of appropriate screening that will clearly define children who need inclusion in the early intervention program in childhood. In this work we are combining two standardized tests to provide screening and early intervention goals for group of neuro-risk children at the age 10-12 months. The Infant Motor Profile (IMP) is a clinical assessment which evaluates the complexity of early motor behavior in four qualitative domains and one quantitative milestone domain. The IMP is relatively good at discriminating between children who will and will not have typical development. Evidence is accumulating that motor and cognitive development are interrelated. The question that guided us was whether we could connect the results on the IMP with selected tasks from the Bayley-III scale and recognize the risks of delayed cognitive development at the age of 10 to 12 months. p2.40 Model-Based Approach for Handling Missing Data in the ASQ:EX: Preliminary Results on Item Parameter Estimates IRT models are usually adopted in large-scale assessments to provide information about item functioning. However, these tools usually present large amounts of missing data which creates bias to the model estimates obtained with IRT analysis. Different approaches have been implemented to treat nonignorable missing values in educational settings, but not in developmental studies. In general lines, these approaches can be separated into deterministic and model-based ones. This study aimed to develop a model-based approach to treat missing values obtained through real data of the ASQ:Extended (ASQ:EX). This tool was developed to assess and monitor the development of young children from ages one to 42 months for program planning and evaluation purposes. This poster presents the steps adopted to create this framework and preliminary results of item parameters estimates. Presenting Author: Rodrigo Leão Ferreira do Nascimento (Brazil) Affiliation: Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) Co-Authors: Luis Anunciação, Jantina Clifford, Kimberly Murphy
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