CPD Articles

Developmental delay in a resource-constrained environment: An approach to early intervention

Pragashnie Govender, Vasantha Govender, Deshini Naidoo
South African Family Practice | Vol 63, No 1 : Part 3| a5355 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/safp.v63i1.5355 | © 2021 Deshini Naidoo | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 01 July 2021 | Published: 31 August 2021

About the author(s)

Pragashnie Govender, Discipline of Occupational Therapy, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
Vasantha Govender, Department of Paediatric Neurology, KwaZulu-Natal Children’s Hospital, Durban, South Africa; and, Department of Paediatric Neurology, Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital, Durban, South Africa
Deshini Naidoo, Discipline of Occupational Therapy, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa

Abstract

With a reduction in mortality rates of children under 5 years, in low- and middle-income countries, the responsibility to provide quality care to the increased number of surviving children becomes essential. Many of these children present with developmental delay and the onus inevitably rest on the healthcare system. There is, therefore, the need for recognising timely intervention as routine care for these children, who may have potential for a better quality of life with intervention. The authors advocate for early referral and intervention, and provide a brief overview of a holistic approach to developmental delay in low resourced settings from their perspective.

Keywords

developmental delay; paediatric intervention; primary healthcare; resource constrained; multidisciplinary team

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