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Sugar-coaters and Straight Talkers: Communicating About Developmental Delays in Primary Care
- Source :
- Pediatrics. 124:e705-e713
- Publication Year :
- 2009
- Publisher :
- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), 2009.
-
Abstract
- OBJECTIVES: The goals were to investigate parents' and early intervention (EI) specialists' beliefs and experiences regarding discussing child development in primary care and to identify communication barriers and opportunities.METHODS: Focus groups were held with (1) mothers of young children with typical development, (2) mothers of young children who received EI services, and (3) EI specialists. Seven groups (N = 46 participants) were conducted in the greater Cleveland, Ohio, area. Meetings were audio-recorded, transcribed, coded, and analyzed, to identify themes.RESULTS: Most mothers reported a preference for a nonalarmist style of communication when developmental delays are suspected. In contrast, some mothers preferred a more direct style, including the use of labels to help them understand their child's development. The importance of preparation to accept information about developmental delays emerged as a theme in all groups. Elements contributing to preparedness included information about expected developmental skills, suggestions for promoting skills, and a specific time frame for follow-up evaluation. Mothers of children with disabilities perceived that early reassurance of normalcy by providers in response to their concerns led to self-doubt and increased difficulty accepting the diagnosis.CONCLUSIONS: Mothers and EI specialists have clear ideas about factors that promote or impede communication regarding child development. This information can inform primary care providers' approaches to monitoring and screening the development of young children and to communicating with parents regarding suspected developmental delays.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Male
Pediatrics
medicine.medical_specialty
Developmental Disabilities
MEDLINE
Primary care
Truth Disclosure
Article
Developmental psychology
Professional-Family Relations
Surveys and Questionnaires
Intervention (counseling)
Early Intervention, Educational
Humans
Medicine
Child
Probability
Primary Health Care
business.industry
Communication
Communication Barriers
Focus Groups
Middle Aged
Focus group
Child development
Mother-Child Relations
United States
Preference
Child, Preschool
Preparedness
Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health
Female
business
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 10984275 and 00314005
- Volume :
- 124
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Pediatrics
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....fe3de90952fa260bbc95af23c6028906