Developmental Interventions in Primary Care
> Developmental outcomes are a product of an individual’s characteristics and his or her experiences in multiple contexts
(e.g. family, child care)
- Central role of the family physician cannot be overemphasised
- Referral of family members to substance-treatment, if necessary (studies show that drug-affected children whose
parents no longer use substances have improved cognitive development) (Griffith et al, 1994; Schuler et al, 2003)
- ongoing emotional support
- assessment of effect of a disability diagnosis on the child’s siblings
- helping families to access appropriate community resources
- provide perspective of physical and mental health challenges
- assess family coping mechanisms & interpersonal relationships
- assess economic barriers
- assess cultural influences
> Children with speech and language delays should be linked to local resources as early as possible
- Therapist-administered one-one-one interventions more effective for children with speech difficulties, children
with expressive or receptive language delays do well in group/daycare type interventions
> Increase caregiver’s capacity for responsiveness to infant
> Caregiver’s internal working models of caregiving can be assessed and shifted through prenatal/postnatal parenting
classes and groups
> Parental risk factors such as substance use or mental illness can be assessed and appropriate resources offered
> Referral to community agencies to increase caregiver’s social support network
> Strong attachment between a mother and her infant decreases the chances of abuse and neglect, and energizes
and motivates her to participate in the services she and the infant may need.
> The resources a mother has available to her are a greater predictor of maternal interaction performance,
child attachment, and development than whether or not she used substances
