Childcare providers' attitudes, knowledge, and practice related to developmental monitoring to promote early identification and referral

Although intervening early can improve child and family outcomes when a child has a developmental disability, most children with developmental delays are not identified prior to school entry. Childcare professionals can play a key role in identifying delays early. The developmental monitoring attitu...

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Published inEarly child development and care Vol. 191; no. 4; pp. 520 - 534
Main Authors Chödrön, Gail, Pizur-Barnekow, Kris, Viehweg, Stephan, Puk-Ament, Alexandra, Barger, Brian
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Routledge 12.03.2021
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Attitudes
Child care
Child Caregivers
Child Development
childcare
Childhood
Children with disabilities
Day care centers
developmental delay
Developmental Delays
Developmental disabilities
developmental monitoring
Developmentally delayed children
Early childhood education
Early Childhood Teachers
Early identification
Early intervention
Educational programs
Identification
Intervention
Knowledge Level
Medical referrals
Physicians
Referral
Special education
Teacher Attitudes
Indiana
Wisconsin
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Summary:Although intervening early can improve child and family outcomes when a child has a developmental disability, most children with developmental delays are not identified prior to school entry. Childcare professionals can play a key role in identifying delays early. The developmental monitoring attitudes, knowledge, and practice of childcare providers in the United States are described based on survey data. Findings indicate that childcare providers commonly monitor development but may do so in ways that are better suited to providing care than to identifying risk for developmental disability. Most providers identify early intervention/early childhood special education programmes as a place to refer for developmental concerns, while not identifying referral to the doctor unless prompted to consider the doctor's role. Overall, these findings suggest childcare providers may be well poised to identify delays and make referrals early through developmental monitoring but need additional knowledge and tools to do so effectively.
ISSN:0300-4430
1476-8275
DOI:10.1080/03004430.2019.1626373