ENG - Monitoring child development: principles, approaches, and tools

Early childhood is a period of great risks and opportunities. While most children follow a typical developmental trajectory, some risk not developing to their full potential due to various biological or environmental factors. As a result of their close proximity to young children and caregivers, Health Systems have the greatest potential to identify children at risk of developmental difficulties and support early childhood intervention.

Health practitioners can ensure timely identification of developmental difficulties and provide quality support to enhance development through systematic, holistic, and comprehensive developmental monitoring. This approach should include integrating child development into the agenda of routine healthcare visits, offering counselling and support to caregivers for understanding and supporting child development in everyday activities, and considering the risk factors related to the child, family, and community.

Effective universal developmental monitoring requires tools that are standardised, validated, culturally and clinically appropriate; dedicated time as part of the routine health care encounters; and health professionals with strong competencies to identify developmental difficulties and engage with caregivers in a family-centred and strength-based manner on child developmental issues.

​This webinar explored the key concepts, definitions and principles of developmental monitoring, approaches to its implementation and key considerations related to human resources, work processes, selection of tools and the role that health systems play in the process, highlighting examples from four countries.

Topics and speakers:

Keynote: Dr Revan Mustafayev, International Developmental Paediatric Association, Istanbul, Turkey.

Scotland: Lynda Fenton and Susanne Brunton, The of Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) as part of health visiting for young children and families.

Portugal: Mary Sheridan’s based milestones as a part of routine developmental monitoring and the health information system - Dr Bárbara Menezes, Directorate-General of Health, Division of Infant, Youth, Reproductive and Sexual Health.

Azerbaijan: Guide for Monitoring Child Development (GMCD), adaptation and integration in primary health care - Dr Tarana Seyid-Mammadova, Paediatrician neurologist, GMCD trainer, Children’s Rehabilitation Center.

Slovakia: Use of an online platform with developmental milestones for parents and professionals - Dr Olga Matuskova, Developmental specialist at Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, National Institute of Children's Diseases.