‘I have learnt to love the child and give opportunities to play with peers’: A feasibility study of the training programme to support parents of young children with visual impairment in Malawi

This is a first mixed-methods study, which created, adapted and tested the feasibility of a training programme targeted at parents, community professionals, specialist teachers and volunteers to provide advice on developmental stimulation for children with visual impairment in their homes in rural and urban settings of Malawi. The study followed guidance from the Medical Research Council Framework for Developing and Evaluating Complex Interventions and drew on a bioecological model to help understand the feasibility of a new intervention in Malawi for 30 children with visual impairment and their carers in three districts of Southern Malawi. We trained 14 community workers and specialist teachers, then piloted the programme, which we linked to Care for Child Development (a World Health Organization/United Nations Children’s training package), over 6 months. In total, 10 observations were carried out to measure fidelity of the intervention at the child’s home. Acceptability was accessed through 20 post-intervention interviews and a focus group discussion with carers. Findings show that the new programme enabled workers and parents to be more positive towards their children with disabilities, improving relationships and responsiveness in their interactions. Drawing on the findings of the feasibility study, outcomes identified for a trial include measures of communication, child development, family care environment, participation and inclusion. This study has significance in providing a methodology that can be drawn upon to develop similar training programmes for use with children with a wider range of disabilities. The article has particular relevance to institutions and organisations working in early childhood development in that it provides a model to aid the development of tailored training programmes for children with visual impairment. It puts forward a table of 10 key messages on how best to prepare young children with visual impairment for life at school and for life after school.

Download Full-text

Pathways to a more peaceful and sustainable world: The transformative power of children in families

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s0954579420000681 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

Pia R. Britto ◽

Suna Hanöz-Penney ◽

Liliana Angelica Ponguta ◽

Diane Sunar ◽

Ghassan Issa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Early Childhood ◽

Child Development ◽

Young Children ◽

Early Childhood Development ◽

The United States ◽

Childhood Development ◽

Policy Advocacy ◽

Children And Families ◽

Transformative Power

Abstract This article provides an overview of selected ongoing international efforts that have been inspired by Edward Zigler's vision to improve programs and policies for young children and families in the United States. The efforts presented are in close alignment with three strategies articulated by Edward Zigler: (a) conduct research that will inform policy advocacy; (b) design, implement, and revise quality early childhood development (ECD) programs; and (c) invest in building the next generation of scholars and advocates in child development. The intergenerational legacy left by Edward Zigler has had an impact on young children not only in the United States, but also across the globe. More needs to be done. We need to work together with a full commitment to ensure the optimal development of each child.

Download Full-text

Knowledge of child development in the interface of theory and practice in foundation phase teacher education

South African Journal of Childhood Education ◽

10.4102/sajce.v7i1.501 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 6 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lara Ragpot

Keyword(s):

Teacher Education ◽

Child Development ◽

Young Children ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

Initial Teacher Education ◽

Childhood Development ◽

Course Content ◽

School Classroom ◽

Pre Service Teacher Education ◽

Pre Service Teacher

How the child develops and learns should be an integral part of pre-service teacher education programmes. This article argues that for foundation phase teachers to teach young children effectively, course content in initial teacher education (TE) should cultivate a thorough understanding of the developing child by infusing theories of childhood development into coursework and practicum. To strengthen this argument, the article gives examples of international TE programmes which recognise that child development should take preference in these programmes. However, for the future teacher to really know the developing child and how to intervene when optimal development is not in place, the theories on child development taught in coursework need to be done in tandem with practical work in a school classroom. This theory–practice interface in initial TE could be optimally supported in a foundation phase pre-service TE programme, which utilises a university-affiliated teaching school as site for practical cross articulation of coursework theory.

Download Full-text

Using the Mothers Object Relations Scale for early childhood development research in rural India: Findings from the Early Life Stress Sub-study of the SPRING Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial (SPRING-ELS)

Wellcome Open Research ◽

10.12688/wellcomeopenres.16591.1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. 54

Author(s):

Sunil S. Bhopal ◽

Reetabrata Roy ◽

Deepali Verma ◽

Divya Kumar ◽

Bushra Khan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Child Development ◽

Object Relations ◽

Life Stress ◽

Early Childhood Development ◽

Short Form ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Childhood Development ◽

World Health ◽

First Time

Background: The World Health Organization and others promote responsive caregiving to support all children to thrive, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. The 14-item Mother’s Object Relations Scales – Short Form (MORS-SF) may be of use in research and public health programmes because of its basis in attachment theory and ability to capture parental feelings towards their child. Methods: We culturally adapted the MORS-SF for use with mothers in the SPRING home visits trial when their infants were 12 months old. The same dyads were assessed using the HOME inventory concurrently and Bayley Scales of Infant Development III (BSID-III) at 18 months of age. Mixed effects linear regression was used to examine associations between MORS-SF (explanatory variable) and HOME-IT, and the cognitive, language and motor domains of BSID-III (outcome variables). Results: 1273 dyads completed all assessments. For the motor and language BSID-III scales and for HOME-IT there were strong and positive associations with the MORS-SF warmth sub-scale, and strong and negative associations with the invasion sub-scale. Important but less strong associations were seen with the BSID-III cognitive scale. Evidence of interaction suggested that both are individually important for child development. Conclusions: This is the first time MORS-SF has been used in India where optimising responsive caregiving is of importance in supporting all children to reach their potential. It is also the first time that the tool has been used in relation to child development. MORS-SF could be a valuable addition to evaluation in early childhood development.

Download Full-text

Strengthening the core health research capacity of national health systems helps build country resilience to epidemics: a cross-sectional survey

F1000Research ◽

10.12688/f1000research.24192.2 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. 583

Author(s):

Rony Zachariah ◽

Dermot Maher ◽

Abraham Aseffa ◽

Mahnaz Vahedi ◽

Pascal Launois ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Research ◽

Health System ◽

Emergency Response ◽

Research Training ◽

Core Competencies ◽

Research Capacity ◽

Training Programme ◽

World Health ◽

Sort It ◽

Training Programmes

Background: TDR, The Special Programme for Research and Training hosted at the World Health Organization, has long supported Low- and Middle-Income Countries in strengthening research capacity through three training programmes: the Postgraduate Training Scheme (PGTS), the Clinical Research and Development Fellowship (CRDF), and the Structured Operational Research Training InitiaTive (SORT IT). In the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, we assessed whether those trained through these programmes were involved in the COVID-19 response and if so, in which area(s) of the emergency response they were applying their skills. Methods: From the records for each training programme, we identified the individuals who had completed training during the relevant timespan of each programme: 1999-2018 for the CRDF scheme, 2015-2020 for PGTS, and 2009-2019 for SORT-IT. Between March and April 2020, we sent trainees an online questionnaire by e-mail. Results: Out of 1254 trained, 1143 could be contacted and 699 responded to the survey. Of the latter, 411 were involved with the COVID-19 response, of whom 315 (77%) were applying their acquired skills in 85 countries. With some overlap between programmes, 84% of those trained through CRDF were applying their skills in 27 countries, 91% of those trained through PGTS were applying their skills in 19 countries, and through SORT IT, this was 73% in 62 countries. Skills were being applied in various areas of the emergency response, including: emergency preparedness, situation analysis/surveillance, infection control and clinical management, data generation, mitigating the effect of COVID on the health system, and research. Depending on the type of training programme, 26-74% were involved in implementation, operational or clinical research. Conclusion: Research training programmes build research capacity and equip health workers with transferable core competencies and skillsets prior to epidemics. This becomes invaluable in building health system resilience at a time of pandemics.

Download Full-text

A Feasibility Study on Recruiting Fathers of Young Children to Examine the Impact of Paternal Depression on Child Development

Child Psychiatry & Human Development ◽

10.1007/s10578-005-0004-3 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 36 (3) ◽

pp. 295-309 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Lorraine Sherr ◽

Shreya Davé ◽

Patricia Lucas ◽

Rob Senior ◽

Irwin Nazareth

Keyword(s):

Child Development ◽

Young Children ◽

Feasibility Study ◽

Paternal Depression ◽

The Impact

Download Full-text

Strengthening the core health research capacity of national health systems helps build country resilience to epidemics: a cross-sectional survey

F1000Research ◽

10.12688/f1000research.24192.1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. 583

Author(s):

Rony Zachariah ◽

Dermot Maher ◽

Abraham Aseffa ◽

Mahnaz Vahedi ◽

Pascal Launois ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Research ◽

Health System ◽

Emergency Response ◽

Research Training ◽

Core Competencies ◽

Research Capacity ◽

Training Programme ◽

World Health ◽

Sort It ◽

Training Programmes

Download Full-text

Short-term PsychoEducation for Carers To Reduce Over Medication of people with intellectual disabilities (SPECTROM): study protocol

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-037912 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. e037912 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Shoumitro Deb ◽

Bharati Limbu ◽

Mike Crawford ◽

Tim Weaver

Keyword(s):

Intellectual Disabilities ◽

Field Test ◽

Complex Interventions ◽

Training Programme ◽

Care Staff ◽

Related Information ◽

Relevant Stakeholder ◽

People With Intellectual Disabilities ◽

Training Programmes ◽

The Uk

IntroductionPsychotropic medications that are primarily licenced for the treatment of psychiatric disorders are used widely (32%–85%) among people with intellectual disabilities (ID) often for the management of problem (challenging) behaviour in the absence of a psychiatric disorder. Care staff play a pivotal role in the prescribing process. Currently, no staff training programme exists to address the issue of overprescribing of psychotropic medication in people with ID, thus highlighting an urgent need for developing a psychoeducational programme (PEP) specifically designed to address this issue. We propose to develop a PEP for care staff using the methodology described in the UK Medical Research Council guide for complex interventions.Methods and analysisThe development of the PEP will involve (1) gathering information on available relevant training programmes, (2) running four focus groups with care staff and other professionals to establish the content and format of the PEP, and (3) organising a co-design event involving all relevant stakeholders to discuss the format of the PEP. A core project team will develop the PEP under guidance from the PEP Development Group which will consist of 10–12 relevant stakeholder representatives. Feedback from selected stakeholders on a draft PEP will allow us to refine the PEP before implementation. The PEP will have web-based modules supplemented by face to face training sessions. When the final draft is ready, we will field test the PEP on six to eight care staff from community care homes for people with ID. After completing the field test, we will run a focus group involving participants in the PEP to get feedback on the PEP.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval for this study was waived by the UK Health Regulatory Authority as the study does not collect any patient related information and only include care staff outside the UK NHS. This will be the first ever such universally freely available PEP supported by training manual and slides.

Download Full-text

Optimal Household Water Access Fosters the Attainment of Minimum Dietary Diversity among Children Aged 6–23 Months in Malawi

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13010178 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 178

Author(s):

Zizwani Brian Chilinda ◽

Mark L. Wahlqvist ◽

Meei-Shyuan Lee ◽

Yi-Chen Huang

Keyword(s):

Young Children ◽

Dietary Diversity ◽

World Health ◽

Food Groups ◽

Water Access ◽

Direct Role ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Child Undernutrition ◽

Health Organization ◽

Minimum Dietary Diversity

Along with sanitation and hygiene, water is a well-known driver of child undernutrition. However, a more direct role of household (HH) water access in shaping dietary diversity remains unexplored. We assessed the association between HH water access and achievement of minimum dietary diversity (MDD) among young children. We utilized nationally-representative cross-sectional data from the 2015/16 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey, which included 4727 mother–child dyads, respectively, (26.8 ± 6.8 years, range 15–49 years) and (13.9 ± 4.9 months, range 6–23 months). HH water access was categorized as (1) basic or no access, (2) intermediate, or (3) optimal. MDD was defined as feeding a child, during the previous day, at least four of the food groups defined by the World Health Organization. Only 27.7% of the children achieved MDD standards; most of the children who achieved MDD were from HHs with optimal water access (58.4%, p < 0.001). However, only 5.9% of the mother–child dyads were from HHs with optimal water access. After adjusting for covariates, children from HHs with optimal water access had higher odds of achieving MDD than those from HHs with basic or no water access (aOR = 1.74, CI = 1.24–2.46). Our results highlight the need to incorporate water-based strategies into national nutritional policies to increase dietary diversity among Malawian infants and young children.

Download Full-text

Nobody’s Perfect: Making sense of a parenting skills workshop through ethnographic research in a low-income neighbourhood in Santiago de Chile

Critical Social Policy ◽

10.1177/0261018320983988 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 026101832098398

Author(s):

Marjorie Murray ◽

Daniela Tapia

Keyword(s):

Child Development ◽

Young Children ◽

Low Income ◽

Ethnographic Research ◽

Parenting Skills ◽

Daily Lives ◽

Making Sense ◽

Santiago De Chile ◽

One Year ◽

Everyday Problems

Nadie es Perfecto (Nobody’s Perfect, or NEP) is a parenting skills workshop aimed at ‘sharing experiences and receiving guidance on everyday problems to strengthen child development’. This article explores this workshop in terms of its relationship with the daily lives of participants, based on one year of fieldwork focused on families with young children in a low-income neighbourhood in Santiago. While caregivers frame their parenting efforts as aiming to ‘hacer lo mejor posible’ (do their best) under difficult circumstances, our study found that facilitators take an anachronistic and homogenizing view of participants. Embracing a universalistic perspective of child development, they discourage participation and debate, focusing instead on providing concrete advice that limits the potential of the workshops. This article argues that by ignoring the different living situations of families in this socioeconomic context, NEP reproduces a prejudiced view of poor subjects that sees them as deficient and incapable of change.

Download Full-text

Nutritional Status of Children 24–60 Months Attending Early Child Development Centres in a Semi-Rural Community in South Africa

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18010261 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 261

Author(s):

Onwaba Makanjana ◽

Ashika Naicker

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Child Development ◽

Nutritional Status ◽

Energy Intake ◽

Vegetable Consumption ◽

Childhood Development ◽

Early Child Development ◽

Serum Retinol ◽

Early Child ◽

Nutritional Status Of Children

Despite the numerous efforts to improve the nutritional status of children, a high prevalence of malnutrition still exists in South Africa. This study aimed to determine the nutritional status of children attending Early Child Development centres in South Africa. In this baseline study, we randomly selected two Early Child Development centres comprising 116 children aged 24–60 months, separated into two cohorts, of 24–47 months and 48–60 months. Dietary intake was measured through the 24 hDR and analysed using Food Finder software. The food frequency questionnaire was used to calculate the food variety and food group diversity scores. Anthropometric measurements were taken and the WHO Anthro software was used to convert it to nutritional data indices. Blood samples were collected through dried blood spot cards in order to determine serum retinol and haemoglobin levels and they were assessed using WHO indicators. The findings showed that participants between 24 and 47 months had a high mean energy intake (4906.2 kJ and 4997.9 kJ for girls and boys, respectively). For the 48–60 months age group, energy intake was lower than the EER (5936.4 kJ and 5621.2 kJ; p = 0.038). There was low fruit and vegetable consumption (24–47 months; 63.8 g and 69.5 g (p = 0.037), 48–60 months; 68.3 g and 74.4 g (p = 0.038) and the top five foods consumed were carbohydrate rich foods for girls and boys, respectively. Stunting was noted in 7% and 20% (48–60 months) (p = 0.012) and overweight in 8% and 17% (24–47 months) and 17% and 13% (48–60 months) (p = 0.041) in girls and boys, respectively. Low serum retinol levels (<0.070 µmol/L) were found in 9.1% of boys (24–47 months), and 8% and 7.4% of girls and boys (48–60 months), respectively. Low haemoglobin levels (<11.0 g/dL) were found in 50.0% and 30.4% (24–47 months) and 8.6% and 39.3% (48–60 months) of girls and boys, respectively. Malnutrition, despite many national and provincial initiatives, still exists in Early Childhood Development centres in South Africa, calling for the application of contextualized nutrition interventions to suit resource-poor settings.

Download Full-text