1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The purpose of this study was to describe the development of children aged 2–5 years in a medium-sized low-income Canadian city. We sought to[:] describe the children’s developmental profiles and school-readiness and [e]xplore factors influencing the risk of developmental delay and school-readiness.» (p. 2)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«A two-phase, cross-sectional study was designed in collaboration with partners following a participatory approach […]. Participants included children aged 27 months to 5.5 years and their parents. All participants were fluent in French or English (or with access to an interpreter) and lived in Sherbrooke, Quebec.» (p. 3) «For Phase 1, 223 children were included; 100 of these were eligible for Phase 2, with 49 consenting to participate.» (p. 4)

Instruments :
Questionnaires

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

Authors «found a high proportion of children at risk, above the number generally reported by others […], and consistent with studies reporting a trend between socioeconomic status and prevalence of developmental concerns and/or special care needs […]. This highlights the need to focus identification efforts in lower socioeconomic neighbourhoods and to promote healthy child development in these communities. It is also possible that parents more concerned by their children’s development participated more in this study, generating a higher percentage of developmental delays. Yet it speaks about the importance of offering families opportunities for screening and consultation, to ensure they can voice their developmental concerns. The association found between using fewer public health/community-based programs and greater risk of delay is surprising and of some concern. Typical assumptions are that children with delay access more health and community resources. [The] results suggest the opposite. Access inequities and difficulties reaching out to families in vulnerable circumstances are well documented […], but to our knowledge, this is the first time that program access is reported as a factor potentially influencing delay. This warrants more research but certainly suggests that not only paediatricians and family doctors might have a potential role in ensuring that families are aware of resources and supported in accessing services but also all community partners involved with preschool children.» (p. 8)