The 12-year prevalence and trends of childhood disabilities in Australia: Findings from the Survey of Disability, Aging and Carers

Aim: This paper contributes to knowledge on the prevalence and nature of disabilities in Australian children over a 12‐year period (2003–2015). Understanding the current state of childhood disability is imperative for predicting future needs for long‐term care and early intervention services for this population. Methods: We used data on children 0–14 years from the 2003, 2009, 2012, and 2015 survey of Disability, Aging and Carers, which is an ongoing national survey covering both rural and urban areas of all States and Territories of Australia. Results: Using the test for trends in population, no significant increases were noted in the prevalence of childhood disabilities over the last 12 years, although the prevalence of any developmental disability increased from 6.9% to 7.42% between 2009 and 2015. The rate and severity of disability was higher among boys compared with girls of the same age for a number of selected disabilities and higher for children aged 5–14 years. Conclusions: With the anticipated rise in psychological related disability among Australian children, there is a need to ensure availability of a flexible and responsive model of service delivery for this population. This also implies that respite service coverage may need to be substantially increased to meet children and caregivers\u27 needs

Employing Participatory Methods to Engage an Under-Researched Group: opportunities and challenges

In this article, we report on our experience of working on an exploratory project where the primary objective was to involve homeless service users with food-based participatory qualitative approaches. The project FLM aimed to explore food experiences and behaviours in a sample of users of homelessness services in a south west UK coastal city, in order to create solutions to improve their wellbeing. A mixture of qualitative methods was used, including observations, photo-elicitation and focus group discussions. We aimed to be participatory and ‘creative’ in our approach and in our analysis. Here, we focus on detailing and critiquing our approach to the collection and analysis of data.</jats:p

Hyperglycemia in pregnancy and developmental outcomes in children at 18-60 months of age: the PANDORA Wave 1 study

First published online: 4 April 2022This study aimed to explore the association between hyperglycemia in pregnancy (type 2 diabetes (T2D) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM)) and child developmental risk in Europid and Aboriginal women.PANDORA is a longitudinal birth cohort recruited from a hyperglycemia in pregnancy register, and from normoglycemic women in antenatal clinics. The Wave 1 substudy included 308 children who completed developmental and behavioral screening between age 18 and 60 months. Developmental risk was assessed using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) or equivalent modified ASQ for use with Aboriginal children. Emotional and behavioral risk was assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the association between developmental scores and explanatory variables, including maternal T2D in pregnancy or GDM.After adjustment for ethnicity, maternal and child variables, and socioeconomic measures, maternal hyperglycemia was associated with increased developmental "concern" (defined as score ≥1 SD below mean) in the fine motor (T2D odds ratio (OR) 5.30, 95% CI 1.77-15.80; GDM OR 3.96, 95% CI 1.55-10.11) and problem-solving (T2D OR 2.71, 95% CI 1.05-6.98; GDM OR 2.54, 95% CI 1.17-5.54) domains, as well as increased "risk" (score ≥2 SD below mean) in at least one domain (T2D OR 5.33, 95% CI 1.85-15.39; GDM OR 4.86, 95% CI 1.95-12.10). Higher maternal education was associated with reduced concern in the problem-solving domain (OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.11-0.69) after adjustment for maternal hyperglycemia.Maternal hyperglycemia is associated with increased developmental concern and may be a potential target for intervention so as to optimize developmental trajectories.Angela Titmuss, Anita D, Aprano, Federica Barzi, Alex D.H. Brown, Anna Wood, Christine Connors, Jacqueline A. Boyle, Elizabeth Moore, Kerin O'Dea, Jeremy Oats, H. David McIntyre, Paul Zimmet, Jonathan E. Shaw, Maria E. Craig and Louise J. Maple-Brow

The psychometric properties of the Ages & Stages Questionnaires for use as population outcome indicators at 2.5 years in England: A systematic review

Background: Early identification of children with potential development delay is essential to ensure access to care. The Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) are used as population outcome indicators in England as part of the 2.5 year review. Method: The aim of this article was to systematically review the worldwide evidence for the psychometric properties of the ASQ third edition (ASQ-3TM) and the Ages & Stages Questionnaires®: Social-Emotional (ASQ:SE). Eight electronic databases and grey literature were searched for original research studies available in English language, which reported reliability, validity, or responsiveness of the ASQ-3TM or ASQ:SE for children aged between 2 and 2.5 years. Twenty studies were included. Eligible studies used either the ASQ-3TM or the ASQ:SE and reported at least one measurement property of the ASQ-3TM and/or ASQ:SE. Data were extracted from all papers identified for final inclusion, drawing on Cochrane guidelines. Results: Using ‘positive’, ‘intermediate’, and ‘negative’ criteria for evaluating psychometric properties, results showed ‘positive’ reliability values in 11/18 instances reported, ‘positive’ sensitivity values in 13/18 instances reported, and ‘positive’ specificity values in 19/19 instances reported. Conclusions: Variations in age or language versions used, quality of psychometric properties, and quality of papers resulted in heterogeneous evidence. It is important to consider differences in cultural and contextual factors when measuring child development using these indicators. Further research is very likely to have an important impact on the interpretation of the ASQ-3TM and ASQ:SE psychometric evidence