Effects of Educating Mothers about the National Child Development Screening Plan on Detecting Abnormal Child Development

Introduction: The early diagnosis of developmental disorders and timely interventions profoundly affect the health of children and their families; however, the detection rate of these disorders is much lower than the actual one. The present study aimed to explore effects of educating mothers about the national child development screening plan on identifying children with abnormal development. Materials and Methods: This pretest-posttest experimental study was a randomized controlled trial. The sample size was 100 mothers with a one-year-old child having attended healthcare centers in Najafabad (one of Isfahan’s township). The Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) was used for gathering data. Three educational sessions were held for mothers of the experimental group. The questionnaires were completed both before and after the intervention. Data was analyzed using the SPSS program, version 20, frequency distribution, chi-square, Mann-Whitney and paired t-test. Results: The mean score of child development from the mothers’ perspective in all domains in the experimental group after the intervention was significantly lower than that before the intervention (p < 0.05). Thus, in the experimental group, after the intervention, the mothers could recognize their children’s problem better. Conclusion: In order that mothers could fill out the ASQ correctly and children with abnormal development could be detected, it is better to provide training in the importance of developmental screening and the early diagnosis of developmental disorders. Moreover, mothers with a one-year-old child should be educated about how to complete the questionnaire. It is also important to teach how a child is assessed.