Neuropsychomotor development assessment of children aged 0 to 5 in early childhood public education centers

Abstract

Purpose: to investigate the neuropsychomotor development, as well as nutritional and cognitive/emotional aspects of children aged 0 to 5, attending early childhood education centers, aiming at early identification and prevention of risks and delays in children’s development. Methods: the population studied was composed of 85 children attending two early childhood education centers. The children’s development approach was contextual, by means of ludic physical therapy assessment, by using the DENVER II scale; complementary assessments of their nutritional status were also performed, based on anthropometric measurements of weight and height, as well as evaluations of the cognitive/emotional development aspects through the Free Hand Drawing and Human Figure Drawing Tests. Results: neuropsychomotor development was found to be within normal range in 69.41% of the children and questionable in 30.58% of them. The significant variable affecting the result was found to be the class in which some children were inserted. In the scale utilized, the best performance was considered to be the gross motor skills (7.69%) and the most questionable performance occurred in the language skills (58.85%). As for nutritional data, it was discovered that 27.06% of the children had some nutritional risk, 22.35% had obesity risk and 4.71%, malnutrition risk. In the cognitive/emotional analysis, the result was that 34.37% of the children presented signs of difficulties related to adaptation and socialization or self-esteem. Conclusion: in the present study, about one-third of the children participating presented questionable neuropsychomotor development, especially in the field of language; in this regard, the class to which the children belong may constitute a barrier to their development. These children presented nutritional risks, with a tendency towards obesity, as well as the possible difficulties regarding adaptation and socialization or self-esteem.

Motor and cognitive outcomes of low birth weight neonates born in a limited resource country: a systematic review

“…Strong evidence shows that children born prematurely or small for gestational age have a greater predisposition to deficits and / or delayed neuropsychomotor development 1 and deficit rates are inversely related to gestational age and birth weight. 2 Prematurity is a growing health problem worldwide, especially in developing countries where access to obstetric service and neonatal support is not guaranteed to the entire population.…”

“…[11][12][13] Experimental studies conducted on animal models of early malnutrition and epilepsy, showed that malnutrition per se has effects not only on hippocampal morphology such as decreased neuronal density in CA1 and CA3 subfields and decreased NDMA expression during adulthood 11,12 but also leads to progressive learning and memory disability. 1 However, the enriched environment led to a significant benefit in learning and retention of visual-spatial memory being able to reverse the cognitive impairment. 13 The average intelligence quotient (IQ) of a child with low birth weight (LBW) is lower than a child with adequate birth weight.…”

“…15 Cognitive deficits, school difficulties, and behavioral problems are often reported by children born with LBW or extreme preterm infants. 1 While deficits have been reported across many cognitive domains, attention deficit is an area of concern for parents and teachers of premature children. 16 Research shows that children born prematurely are much more at risk for neurobehavioral deficits even though there are individual variations and varying profiles and severity of deficits.…”

“…16 Research shows that children born prematurely are much more at risk for neurobehavioral deficits even though there are individual variations and varying profiles and severity of deficits. 1 The data concerning the medium or long-term outcomes of preterm newborns in South American countries remain deficient, and specific follow-up programs are challenging to provide in public institutions. After discharge from a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), most of these infants are followed at primary care facilities, leaving most of them without specific attention.…”

“…Strong evidence shows that children born prematurely or small for gestational age have a greater predisposition to deficits and / or delayed neuropsychomotor development 1 and deficit rates are inversely related to gestational age and birth weight. 2…”