This study examines the intersection of early intervention and the role of women as primary caregivers for children with disabilities. Studies for this analysis were collected through a meticulous search in the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases. This process ensured the inclusion of a wide range of relevant literature from the field of study. A rigorous procedure of identification, selection, eligibility assessment, and inclusion of potentially relevant studies in this research area was conducted. We analyzed 130 articles, identifying 8 key research areas. Significant factors include the impact on parental interactions, communication skills, the role of women in developmental disabilities, mothers\' understanding of their children\'s disabilities, emotional overload, parental stress, and psychological aspects. These factors significantly affect the well-being and development of mothers and children with disabilities. The study also considers the impact on women\'s careers. While research on psychological aspects and maternal overload is well-developed, establishing early intervention systems to optimize resources for proper child development is a challenge. The findings have high social value, paving the way for improving the quality of early childhood services.

The international recognition of the critical importance of the early childhood phase has been firmly established through decades of rigorous research, evidence-based practices, and undeniable evidence of the returns on investment made during this formative period. Consequently, early childhood development has emerged as a top priority on both national and international agendas. This momentum reached a pinnacle in 2015 with the unanimous adoption of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the United Nations, which placed a particular emphasis on children under the age of five within the education-focused SDG 4, notably target 4.2, centered on ensuring that all girls and boys are ready for primary education through the provision of accessible \"quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education\". However, the Global South reflects the glaring omission of addressing the needs of children at risk of poor development due to disabilities. This paper underscores the imperative for specialized early childhood intervention tailored to young children with disabilities and their families, commencing as early as possible following birth. It advocates for Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) as a service distinct from general Early Childhood Development (ECD), emphasizing the crucial role of families as active partners from the outset. Furthermore, the paper strengthens the case for Family-Centered Early Childhood Intervention (Fc-ECI) through the integration of evidence-based practices and an in-depth description of one such program in South Africa with specific reference to deaf and hard-of-hearing infants and their families. This model will be guided by core concepts outlined in WHO and UNICEF Early Childhood Intervention frameworks. Through this exploration, the paper aims to shed light on the urgent need for inclusive approaches to early childhood development, particularly for children with disabilities, and to advocate for the adoption of Family-Centered Early Childhood Intervention as a cornerstone of global efforts to ensure the holistic well-being and development of all children.

Physical activity (PA) is crucial for preschool-aged children\'s health and development. However, limited evidence exists regarding the feasibility of implementing home-based interventions and how program components influence parent cognitions and practices and child PA. This study evaluated the feasibility and potential efficacy of a family-based PA intervention on objectively measured PA, fundamental movement skills (FMS), parental efficacy, support, goal setting and parent-child co-activity. Guided by social cognitive theory, an 8-week cluster randomised controlled trial was conducted in Hong Kong. The trial included parental workshops, FMS training, PA homework, social media activity sharing and exercise equipment provision. Data were collected at baseline (Time 1; April 2019) and at the end of the intervention period (Time 2; approximately 2 months later) from 108 parent-child pairs in five preschools. The intervention led to increased moderate-to-vigorous PA and FMS in children, along with improved parental self-efficacy, goal setting, supportiveness and co-participation. However, parental PA did not show significant changes. Parents expressed high satisfaction, supporting the need for tailoring interventions to address the unique needs and preferences of young children and their parents. Reinforcing the parental role and providing informative materials and training can promote healthy lifestyles in early childhood.

Psychosocial stressors and resources present in the early life of a child play a crucial part in determining outcomes later in life. Preventive early childhood intervention services aim to reduce negative and increase positive outcomes. Home-visiting programs are an example for preventive services that are common in many countries.The present study focusses on a wide spread home-visiting program in Germany and has three main objectives: First, to characterize the professionals that conduct and the families who participate in the program. Second, to study relations between a broad range of resources and stressors. Third, to analyse potential outcome variables for future efficacy studies on early childhood intervention services. The goal is to recruit 130 professionals and 500 families from 20 cities and municipalities in Germany. For families with two caregivers, both are invited to participate. Questionnaire topics for professionals and families include a range of stressors and resources, need for support, and the work focus of the professionals. Statistical analyses will mainly be descriptive, exploring the complex interplay of stressors and resources in vulnerable families.These results will not only provide insights into how the program is currently conducted and whom it serves, but might also help to further accelerate the program and the training of professionals.
Zusammenfassung Psychosoziale Belastungen und Ressourcen, die in den ersten Lebensjahren eines Kindes auftreten, haben einen entscheidenden Einfluss auf Entwicklungen im weiteren Lebensverlauf. Präventive Angebote der Frühen Hilfen zielen darauf, negative Entwicklungen zu reduzieren und positive Entwicklungen zu fördern. Aufsuchende Angebote sind ein Beispiel für präventive Angebote, die in vielen Ländern üblich sind. Die vorliegende Studie fokussiert auf ein weit verbreitetes aufsuchendes Angebot in Deutschland und verfolgt drei Hauptziele: Erstens sollen die Fachkräfte, die das Angebot durchführen, und die Familien, die daran teilnehmen, charakterisiertwerden. Zweitens sollen die Beziehungen zwischen einembreiten Spektruman Ressourcen und Belastungen untersucht werden. Drittens sollen potenzielle Ergebnisvariablen für künftige Wirksamkeitsstudien zu Angeboten der Frühen Hilfen analysiert werden. Ziel ist es, 130 Fachkräfte und 500 Familien aus 20 Städten und Gemeinden in Deutschland zu rekrutieren. Bei Familien mit zwei Bezugspersonen werden beide zur Teilnahme eingeladen. Zu den Inhalten, die in den Fragebögen für Fachkräfte und Familien abgefragt werden, gehören eine Reihe von Belastungen und Ressourcen, der Unterstützungsbedarf sowie der Arbeitsschwerpunkt der Fachkräfte. Die statistischen Analysen werden hauptsächlich deskriptiv sein und das komplexe Zusammenspiel von Belastungen und Ressourcen in belasteten Familien explorieren. Die Ergebnisse werden nicht nur Aufschluss darüber geben, wie das Programmderzeit durchgeführt wird und wer es in Anspruch nimmt, sondern könnten auch dazu beitragen, das Angebot und die Ausbildung der Fachkräfte weiter zu entwickeln.

Early identification of developmental delay or disability and access to early intervention improves outcomes for children with disabilities and their families. However, in many low- and middle-income countries, services and systems to enable timely, co-ordinated care and support are lacking. The aim of this research was to explore the experiences of families of children with developmental disabilities in Fiji in accessing services for intervention and support across sectors. This qualitative study involved conducting interviews with caregivers of children with disabilities (n = 12), and relevant key stakeholders from health, education, disability, and social support sectors (n = 17). We used journey maps to identify key stages of the families\' journeys, identify key barriers and enablers at each stage, and provide multi-sectoral recommendations for each stage. Enablers include proactive help seeking behaviours, the use of informal support networks and an increasingly supportive policy environment. Barriers to identification include a lack of awareness of developmental disabilities and the benefits of early intervention among service providers and the community. A lack of service availability and capacity, workforce issues, family financial constraints and a lack of collaboration between sectors were barriers to intervention once needs were identified, resulting in significant unmet needs and impacting inclusion and participation for children with disabilities. Overcoming these challenges requires a multi-sectoral approach.

BACKGROUND: It is now well established empirically that families and children who could not attend educational and childcare institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced disadvantages. This is particularly true for families in poverty. However, little is known about the situation of families with young children. The aim of the paper is to investigate (1) to what extent families with infants and toddlers also experienced their situation during the pandemic as stressful, (2) whether there were differences depending on social class, (3) how the pandemic affected the healthy development of infants and toddlers, and (4) to what extent class-related differences can also be identified in this.
METHODS: The German National Centre for Early Prevention conducted a nationally representative survey of families with children of age 0 to 3 years in April to December 2022, \"Kinder in Deutschland 0‑3 2022\" (N = 7821). The KiD 0‑3 study combines a parent survey on family psychosocial burden and resources with pediatric documentation of child development.
RESULTS: Parents with very young children experienced their situation in the COVID-19 pandemic as stressful. A clear difference depending on social class emerged. Both from the parents\' perspective and in pediatric judgment, the pandemic had a negative impact on social and affective development even in young children. These effects were more pronounced in children from families experiencing poverty than in children from families not receiving basic government benefits.
CONCLUSIONS: In order to mitigate the psychosocial consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for families and to improve children\'s chances of growing up in a healthy way that promotes their development, it is necessary to support families in need without stigmatization.
UNASSIGNED: EINLEITUNG: Inzwischen ist empirisch belegt, dass Familien mit Kindern, die in der COVID-19-Pandemie Bildungs- und Betreuungseinrichtungen nicht besuchen konnten, Nachteile erlebten. Dies gilt insbesondere für Familien in Armutslagen. Über die Situation von Familien mit sehr jungen Kindern ist noch wenig bekannt. Es wird untersucht, inwieweit 1) Familien mit Säuglingen und Kleinkindern ihre Situation in der Pandemie als belastend erlebten und 2) ob es dabei Unterschiede nach der sozialen Lage gab, 3) wie sich die Pandemie aus Eltern- und Ärztesicht auf die Entwicklung der Kinder ausgewirkt hat und 4) inwieweit die soziale Lage auch bei pandemiebedingten Entwicklungsauffälligkeiten eine Rolle spielte.
METHODS: Das Nationale Zentrum Frühe Hilfen hat von April bis Dezember 2022 eine bundesweit repräsentative Erhebung bei Familien mit Kindern von 0 bis 3 Jahren durchgeführt, „Kinder in Deutschland 0‑3 2022“ (KiD 0‑3; N = 7818). Die Studie kombinierte eine Elternbefragung zu Belastungen und Ressourcen mit einer kinderärztlichen Dokumentation der kindlichen Entwicklung.
UNASSIGNED: Auch Eltern mit sehr jungen Kindern haben ihre Situation in der COVID-19-Pandemie als belastend erlebt. Dabei zeigten sich deutliche Unterschiede je nach sozialer Lage. Sowohl aus Sicht der Eltern als auch im pädiatrischen Urteil hat sich die Pandemie bereits bei Kleinkindern negativ auf die soziale und affektive Entwicklung ausgewirkt. Diese Effekte sind bei Kindern aus armutsbelasteten Familien stärker ausgeprägt als bei Kindern aus Familien ohne Bezug staatlicher Leistungen zur Grundsicherung.
CONCLUSIONS: Um die pandemiebedingten psychosozialen Belastungen der Familien abzumildern und die Chancen der Kinder auf ein gesundes, entwicklungsförderliches Aufwachsen zu verbessern, ist es notwendig, Familien in Bedarfslagen stigmatisierungsfrei und niedrigschwellig zu unterstützen.

Adequate early childhood development is critical for later-life success. Developmental profiles of specific populations are required to support implementation of early intervention services. Three hundred fifty-three caregivers of children with mean age 17.9 months (SD = 10.5) were selected from a primary healthcare clinic. Overall positive identification of signs of a developmental delay, with the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development III, was 51.8% (n = 183). Logistic regression analysis determined the effect of age and gender on results. Prevalence of developmental delay increased with age from 33.1% for children under 12 months to 61.7% and 66.3% for children between 13-24 months and 25-36 months, respectively. Females were 1.82 times (95% CI [1.16, 2.85]) more likely to have had no signs of developmental delay; 2.30 times (95% CI [1.14, 4.65]) in motor and 2.06 times (95% CI [1.23, 3.45]) in adaptive behaviour domains. One-third of children presented with low levels of adaptive behaviour functioning. One hundred and one (28.6%) participants across age groups displayed superior social-emotional ability, possibly due to familial structures and relationships. One-third of children presented with poor adaptive behaviour function, attributed to cultural differences. This study contributes to information on developmental characteristics of children in South Africa.

An urban-rural comparison of family stress and early childhood intervention: Data linkage between two cross-sectional studies Abstract. Background: So far, there is insufficient information about where in Germany which families are reached by home-visiting programs and how well. One example is the provision of home-visiting program by health service professionals (LaB) in early childhood intervention. Research questions: Are there urban-rural differences in psychosocial stress among families? What differences exist in terms of expanding support services, receiving a service, and using the offered LaB? Methods: Data from a representative family survey on psychosocial stress characteristics and the use of services, and a nationwide survey of professionals on the development and expansion of early childhood intervention at the community level were linked. Analyses included descriptive statistics and regression models. Results: Most psychosocial stress characteristics were reported with similar rates in rural and urban areas. Although the LaB program is more widespread in urban regions, it was more likely to be used in rural regions when offered. LaB was more likely to be used by families with migration background, with signs of depression or anxiety of parents, and with a child with perinatal adversities, and less likely when there was a need for expansion of this service. Conclusions: The increased use in rural areas could be due to the fact that there are long distances to few centralized services. Therefore, the outreach character of the LaB program is appreciated, especially among less mobile families.
Zusammenfassung. Hintergrund: Bisher mangelt es an Informationen darüber, wo in Deutschland welche Familien wie gut durch psychosoziale Unterstützungsangebote erreicht werden. Im Fokus dieses Beitrags steht das Angebot der längerfristigen aufsuchenden Betreuung und Begleitung (LaB) durch Gesundheitsfachkräfte der Frühen Hilfen. Fragestellung: Gibt es Stadt-Land-Unterschiede bei psychosozialen Belastungen von Familien? Welche Unterschiede bestehen hinsichtlich des Ausbaus von Unterstützungsangeboten, des Erhalts eines Angebots und der Nutzung der LaB? Methoden: Daten aus einer repräsentativen Familienbefragung zu psychosozialen Belastungen und der Nutzung von Angeboten wurden mit einer bundesweiten Kommunalbefragung zum Auf- und Ausbau Früher Hilfen auf kommunaler Ebene verknüpft. Analysen umfassten deskriptive Statistiken und Regressionsmodelle. Ergebnisse: In ländlichen und städtischen Regionen wurden die meisten psychosozialen Belastungen ähnlich häufig berichtet. Zwar ist die LaB in städtischen Regionen verbreiteter, jedoch wurde sie in ländlichen Regionen eher genutzt, wenn sie angeboten wurde. Die LaB wurde häufiger von Familien mit Migrationshintergrund, mit Anzeichen von Depression oder Angstsymptomatik eines Elternteils sowie mit einem Kind mit perinataler Besonderheit genutzt und seltener bei hohem Ausbaubedarf des Angebots. Schlussfolgerungen: Die erhöhte Nutzung in ländlichen Regionen könnte darauf zurückzuführen sein, dass weite Wege zu wenigen zentralen Angeboten bestehen und daher der aufsuchende Charakter des Angebots der LaB, besonders bei wenig mobilen Familien, geschätzt wird.

To increase vegetable and fruit intake, reduce body mass index (BMI), and improve parental blood pressure among American Indian families.
Randomized, wait-list controlled trial testing a multi-level (environmental, community, family, and individual) multi-component intervention with data collection at baseline and 6 months post-intervention.
Tribally owned and operated Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs in the Osage Nation in Oklahoma.
American Indian families (at least one adult and one child in a ECE program). A sample size of 168 per group will provide power to detect differences in fruit and vegetable intake.
The 6-month intervention consisted of a (1) ECE-based nutrition and gardening curriculum; (2) nutrition education and food sovereignty curriculum for adults; and (3) ECE program menu modifications.
The primary outcome is increase in fruit and vegetable intake, assessed with a 24-h recall for adults and plate weight assessments for children. Secondary outcomes included objective measures of BMI among adults and children and blood pressure among adults.

Early childhood intervention is particularly cost-beneficial when it reduces justice involvement, but ingredients that contribute to this outcome are unknown. The goal of this study was to estimate the effects of two common early childhood intervention ingredients-home visits and center-based education-on juvenile justice involvement. The Infant Health and Development Program (IHDP) randomized 1090 premature and low-birth-weight babies to intervention or control groups. Intervention group families were offered home visits from birth to age 3 years and high-quality center-based early childhood education from ages 1 to 3 years, but varied in their take-up of each intervention component. We estimated (1) intent-to-treat effects and (2) the effects of families\' level of participation in each intervention component, using a novel stratification approach to minimize the impact of self-selection bias on dosage. Outcomes were children\'s risk of being stopped by police, arrested, or incarcerated, by age 18 years. Intent-to-treat analyses showed no effects of the IHDP for both sexes combined, nor for girls only, on any of the three outcomes, but there was an intent-to-treat effect on boys\' risk of being arrested, OR = 0.43 (95% CI 0.24, 0.76). Analyses of dosage effects showed that, for both sexes combined, participation in the center-based educational component decreased the odds of being stopped by the police by 3% for each month of services. For boys only, the odds of being arrested decreased by 4% with each month of home visits and by 4% with each month of center-based educational services. We conclude that high-quality center-based early childhood education and, to some extent, home visits, reduce justice involvement among biologically vulnerable children, especially boys.