Accelerating progress on early childhood development for children under 5 years with disabilities by 2030The Global Research on Developmental Disabilities Collaborators*The likelihood of a newborn child dying before their fifth birthday (under-5 mortality rate) is universally acknowledged as a reflection of the social, economic, health, and environmental conditions in which children (and the rest of society) live, but little is known about the likelihood of a newborn child having a lifelong disability before their fifth birthday if he or she survives. Available data show that globally the likelihood of a child having a disability before their fifth birthday was ten times higher than the likelihood of dying ( 377•2 vs 38•2 per 1000 livebirths) in 2019. However, disability funding declined by 11•4% between 2007 and 2016, and only 2% of the estimated US$79•1 billion invested in early childhood development during this period was spent on disabilities. This funding pattern has not improved since 2016. This paper highlights the urgent need to prioritise early childhood development for the beneficiaries of global child survival initiatives who have lifelong disabilities, especially in low-income and middle-income countries, as envisioned by the Sustainable Development Goals agenda. This endeavour would entail disability-focused programming and monitoring approaches, economic analysis of interventions services, and substantial funding to redress the present inequalities among this cohort of children by 2030.

Knowledge and identification of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are increasing in Latin America, yet there are limited resources available to help families of children with ASD. For this study, researchers adapted and tested a parent educational program created for Latino immigrant parents of children with ASD in the United States to the needs of parents of children with ASD in Colombia. Parents were randomized into two intervention delivery modes, one led by parents and the other by students. All measures were self-reported by parents ( n = 20). Parents improved in understanding their child’s strengths and needs and frequency of using evidence-based strategies. Parents in the student-led group reported significantly lower depressive symptoms between baseline and follow-up. In focus groups, parents expressed satisfaction with the intervention and described ways they were using the information. In conclusion, this study demonstrated promising results to improve the experience of parents of children with ASD in Colombia.

No abstract

Introducción. La rehabilitación integral es un concepto de difícil consenso, dado que es resultado de una evolución histórica. Objetivo. Presentar los hallazgos del estudio “Acceso a los servicios de rehabilitación integral en Colombia: una aproximación desde los conceptos y las prácticas de distintos actores sociales” y describir las comprensiones de la rehabilitación integral de parte de diversos actores desde una perspectiva comprensiva de la discapacidad. Materiales y métodos. Se realizó un estudio descriptivo-exploratorio, cualitativo y de múltiples fuentes de evidencia para identificar las percepciones de actores responsables de formular e implementar políticas públicas (FP), académicos (A), profesionales (P), representantes de organizaciones sociales (OS), gestores de servicios (GS), gestores y profesionales de servicios de educación inclusiva (EI), personas con discapacidad (PCD) y cuidadores (C), involucrados en la rehabilitación integral en una ciudad colombiana. Se realizaron entrevistas a 18 actores y se desarrollaron seis grupos focales. Para el análisis de datos, se usó el Atlas ti®, el acuerdo entre jueces y el análisis de las narrativas. Resultados. La rehabilitación integral es percibida de distintas maneras por los actores, entre las que priman tres concepciones de ella: como resultado de un proceso de rehabilitación funcional, como derecho y como garante de inclusión social. Conclusiones. Mientras exista diversidad y dispersión acerca de la rehabilitación integral, será difícil concebir, implementar, evaluar y participar activamente en dicho proceso. En consecuencia, las barreras de acceso a ella se incrementarán y estará lejos de entenderse como un derecho que se ejerce desde una visión integral de ser humano. Dicho esto, se enuncian implicaciones para la academia, los prestadores de servicios y las políticas públicas.