- The paediatric rehabilitation unit at Latifa Hospital sees more than 5000 patients every month aged new-borns to 13 years.
- Therapists advice parents to be aware of red flags which are usually signs of developmental delays.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 9 May, 2015: The Dubai Health Authority, held today a #smart_clinic via its Twitter page (DHA_Dubai) to raise awareness about early detection of developmental delays in children.
Information was disseminated to 70,000 people who follow the DHA page on Twitter.
Latifa Hospital's paediatric rehabilitation unit offers comprehensive services to tackle all areas of developmental delays in children. Physicians and therapists see patients from new-borns to 13 years of age across all areas including physiotherapy , occupational therapy , speech therapy, therapy for language and swallowing difficulties, assessment of premature infants as well as fabrication of orthotics.
On an average, every month, the Unit sees more than 5000 patients.
Suji John, Senior Occupational Therapist at Latifa Hospital, said: “Latifa Hospital has an early intervention program which is for new-borns to children aged three years to ensure any of the developmental delays can be identified early on for better patient outcomes.
“As a child grows and develops, he learns different skills, such as smiling for the first time, saying his first word etc. These skills are known as developmental milestones. There is normal variation around what age children will achieve a specific developmental milestone. Developmental delay refers to a child who is not achieving milestones within the age range of that normal variability.”
John said the challenge for parents is to identify whether the developmental delay is just a phase or it is due to a disability that will cause a long-term issue with development or learning. “Most often, at least initially, it is difficult or impossible to determine whether the delay is a marker of a long-term issue with development or learning (i.e. known as a disability) or whether the child will ‘catch-up' in their development and learning. Therefore parents need to be alert, take note of the delays and visit a therapist to ensure early detection.”
Haidar Wreidan, Specialist Speech Therapist at Latifa Hospital said milder forms of cerebral palsy, autism, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders (ADHC) are the disorders that are usually missed and parents bring their children when they are of school-going age. “The earlier the diagnosis the better the chances are of long-term recovery for the child because optimal brain development takes place until the age of four years. Therefore the best outcomes are in children who are diagnosed as early as possible.”
The top five disorders that the Unit sees are cerebral palsy (CP) , autism ADHD, down syndrome and other genetic syndrome.
Developmental milestones can be divided into some categories. These include muscular skills to sit, run etc., hand and finger skills to eat, dress etc., language, cognitive and social skills.
Wreidan said that it is important for parents to educate themselves about these milestones so that they are aware when it is missed and can keep track of it. “ Some parents come to us with children of school-going age who have speech problems. If we know early on, the positive impact of treatment is life-long.”
John added that in today's times the risk factors of excessive exposure to screen time, no outdoor play and digital age can trigger problems such as ADHD in children.
She recommended that parents should educate themselves about these milestones, children should get at least one hour of physical activity per day and even more if possible, screen time should be reduced or even eliminated if possible, parents should model good behaviour by not using their phones, i-pad and other smart devices when spending time with children, a fixed routine should be set for children as early as possible and parents must encourage independence and self-care early on.
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