G167 Improving outcomes for young chldren in refugee families: lessons from somali parents’ experiences of play and social interaction in the UK

Allport, Tom; Mace, Jessica; Farah, Foauzi Mohmmed; Yusuf, Fatima; Mahdjoubi, Lamine; Redwood, Sabi

doi:10.1136/archdischild-2020-rcpch.138

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“…We have urged commissioners of children's services in England and Wales to prioritize targeted and tailored early years and environmental interventions to migrant families and communities (Allport et al, 2021 ), consistent with the concept of ‘proportionate universalism’ which was first proposed to address health inequalities in the United Kingdom (Marmot et al, 2010 ). Our finding that developmental issues disproportionately affect pre‐school children in migrant families adds to evidence that these families need special attention.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developmental referrals of pre‐school children in a diverse community in England: The importance of parental migration for referral rates

Allport

Ambrose

Collin

2022

Child

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Background Children born to migrant parents have higher rates of language difficulties, intellectual disability and autism. This study explores the relationship between migration, ethnicity and reasons for early years referrals to community paediatrics in a diverse multi‐cultural population in a city in south west England. Methods Observational retrospective study from a community paediatric service serving a multi‐cultural urban population from June 2012 to February 2016. We tested associations of ethnicity and parental birth origin with reason for referral (developmental or non‐developmental) for children under 5 years old and estimated crude rate ratios for referrals using population census data. Results Data were available for 514 children (52% white or mixed race, 16% Asian, 21% African diaspora, and 11.5% Somali); 53% had two UK‐born parents while 22% had two migrant (non‐UK‐born) parents. Referrals were for developmental reasons in 307 (60%) including 86 for possible autism. Parental birth origin and ethnicity were associated with reason for referral (p < 0.001). Children from African diaspora, Asian or Somali backgrounds had more than twice the rate (rate ratio [RR] 2.37, 95% CI 1.88–2.99, p < 0.001) of developmental referrals compared with white or mixed‐race children. Children of Somali or African diaspora ethnicity were, respectively, six‐times (RR 5.99, 95% CI 3.24–10.8, p < 0.001) and four times (RR 4.23, 95% CI 2.44–7.29, p < 0.001) more likely to be referred for possible autism spectrum than their white or mixed‐race peers. Developmental referral as a proportion of all referrals was twice as high among children with one migrant parent (20.4%) and three times as high among children with two migrant parents (29.5%), compared with children whose parents were both UK‐born (10.7%). Conclusions This study supports the importance of ethnicity and parental migration as factors in young children experiencing developmental difficulties, especially concerns about social communication or autism.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%