Profile of children with disabilities attending an early intervention program / Perfil de crianças com deficiência participantes de um programa de estimulação precoce

• Autor(a) principal: Rocha, André de Souza
• Data de Publicação: 2020
• Outros Autores: Degering, Paloma Cristina, Schmidt, Kelly Cristine, Piucco, Elaine Carmelita, Savall, Ana Carolina Rodrigues
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Revista Veras
• Texto Completo: https://ojs.brazilianjournals.com.br/ojs/index.php/BRJD/article/view/10910
• topic: Disabled Children; Early Intervention; Child development.

Aim: To analyze the profile of children with disabilities attending an Early Intervention program (EI) and describe the evaluations and interventions delivered. Methods: A document based, retrospective descriptive-exploratory study was carried out from February-April/2019. Medical records of children with disabilities from a referral foundation were included, focused on the main diagnoses involving neurodevelopmental disorders, including Cerebral Palsy (CP), Down Syndrome (DS) and Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Records of 79 children were analyzed for family data, children's clinical variables, initial evaluations and EI data (admission, permanence, type/quantity of therapeutic interventions). Results: There was an even distribution among diagnoses, where 26 children had DS, 26 children had ASD and 27 children had CP. The initial evaluation occurred at a mean of 22 ± 16.7 (0.1-59) months, involving mainly pediatrician (46%), speech therapist (95%), physical therapist (83%) and educator (77%). They began the EI at a mean of 28 ± 19.6 (1.1-69) months, remaining for 3.5 ± 2.0 (0.2-6.2) years. The most frequent interventions included speech therapy (100%), special education (80%) and physical therapy (70%). Most (66%) attended 02 to 05 areas of intervention. Conclusion: Children with disabilities attending EI had different types of diagnoses. Both initial evaluation and EI entry occurred late. They attended the EI around three years, undergoing multidisciplinary care. These findings provide relevant data for structuring and modifying EI programs in children with disabilities.