Early screening and intervention for First Nations infants at risk of adverse Neurodevelopment outcomes: Are we culturally competent?
The first 1000 days is a critical point of infant brain development. Targeted surveillance and follow up programs support the early identification of developmental vulnerability, sometimes prior to the overt onset of clinical symptoms. Early detection of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes, utilising gold standard clinical assessments (Novak 2017), enables infants and families to be fast-tracked to specific intervention and support services, providing a significant window of opportunity to optimise outcomes and promote development.
Little is known about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander construct of disability. This understanding has significant implications for how First Nations communities engage with child development and disability services, including screening and ‘intervention' programs. Cultural considerations, community collaboration and co-design, are imperative for implementing culturally safe and sensitive health care programs. The LEAP-CP project investigates the use of clinical assessments (Prechtl's Qualitative assessment of general movements, Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination, Rapid Neurodevelopmental assessment, ASQ-TRAK) to screen ‘at risk' Indigenous infants. Infants at high risk of CP and/or adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes will be eligible for the LEAP-CP intervention RCT, a peer-delivered, holistic program, culturally adapted specifically for First Nations infants and families.
Please note that this lecture is a face to face lecture only