Early Childhood Developmental Disability Awareness Program|Quick homework help

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Please prepare a needs assessment plan for your proposed program, including approaches to measurement and methods of data collection and analysis. Your needs assessment should be able to answer the following questions:

1. Who is the priority population?
2. What are the needs of the priority population?
3. Which subgroups within the priority population have the greatest need?
4. Where are these subgroups located geographically?
5. What is currently being done to resolve identified needs?
6. How well have the identified needs been addressed in the past?

The questions outlined above can be answered by incorporating the following steps: determining the purpose and scope of the needs assessment, gathering data, analyzing the data, identifying the factors linked to the problem, identifying the program focus, and validating the prioritized needs. Please be sure to outline your needs assessment in this manner in order to fully answer the questions listed above.Students are expected to produce a minimum of 5 pages, cite references, and use APA style throughout.

Literature Review

Gaby L. Johnson

Nova Southeastern University

HSDD 6000

Assignment C

Adela Beckerman-Fontana

February 5, 2023

Literature Review

To gain a comprehensive understanding of the program and its significance, this paper is going to evaluate and review scholarly articles including books, journals, and theses related to developmental disabilities. Development disabilities entail certain conditions that result from an impairment in the physical, learning, language or behavioral aspects of a child which affects a child’s day-to-day functioning. The conditions are identified during the developmental period but mostly last for as long as the person is alive. However, these developmental disabilities can be identified early enough, and the necessary intervention measures are taken to prevent lifetime disability (Gapurova, 2022). This constitutes the primary objective of this program. Hence this program is critical in providing a chance for appropriate interventions to be taken early enough.

Developmental disorders result from various causes. A significant fraction of developmental disorders results from hereditary or incidental genetic abnormalities, or the interaction of genetic features and ecological factors (Esposito, Azhari & Borelli, 2018). The period of the human nervous system’s development, which starts during pregnancy and lasts into early life can make the nervous system susceptible to vulnerabilities that lead to developmental disorders. Dietary deficits and other external shocks or exposure during crucial stages of neurodevelopment are other factors (John, Black & Nelson III, 2017). The effects of these encounters frequently rely on how quickly the growing brain or intellectual capacity is affected. Intellectual impairment and particular learning problems in children with average intelligence are examples of mental disorders in children that also impair development.

Subnormal intelligence combined with deficiencies in adaptive functioning also results in developmental disorders. Children with moderate cognitive impairment, which is the most prevalent type of intellectual impairment, perform poorly in school and as a result have fewer career options (Nesayan, Amani & Gandomani, R. A. (2019). This is because cognitive abilities are necessary for learning and successfully executing tasks such as solving problems and making decisions. Children with extra severe grades of mental retardation (moderate, severe, and profound) are more likely to have multiple disabilities which are complex conditions in which intellectual disabilities are combined with somatic, motor, and health-related difficulties (Evensen, 2021). For example, foresight, ability to hear, motor, and/or seizure impairment in alongside cognitive impairment hence they have to be reliant on others for basic needs for their entire lives

Among the motor impairments identified in childhood is cerebral palsy, which is brought on by harm to the motor tracts of the developing brain; Congenital and acquired limb deformities, spinal muscular atrophies, and progressive diseases including muscular abnormalities can all result in immobility (Cacioppo et al, 2022). Other ailments that can cause it to include polio and spinal cord injuries. A chronic, non – progressive injury or insult to the developing brain causes cerebral palsy. Therefore, depending on the exact position of the impairment, impacted children may display a range of movement challenges such as spasticity which is a condition in which there is an abnormal increase in muscle stiffness or tone (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, n.d). Spasticity is caused by the engagement of the motor cortex, and it can interfere with speech, and movement and is associated with severe discomfort or pain. The central nervous system is involved, which causes dystonia and dyskinesia (United Nations Children’s Fund, 2022).

Due to concurrent insults to several parts of the brain, people with cerebral palsy frequently have additional problems. Disorders, learning difficulties, epilepsy, language abnormalities, and psychological issues are some examples of these problems. Similar to this, some motor illnesses that worsen over time, including muscular dystrophy, can also be accompanied by cognitive impairments. A muscular dystrophy is a group of illnesses that cause progressive loss and weakness of muscle mass. Abnormal mutations or genes interfere with the production of proteins (dystrophins) that are needed to form healthy muscle (Duan et al., 2021). However, the impairment is typically limited to motor functions or mobility in many types of paralytics, including those brought on by poliomyelitis damage, as well as genetic or developed limb deformities (Cacioppo et al., 2022), 2020).

Speech, Hearing, and Vision Impairments

Low vision, blindness, and hearing loss are all disorders that largely affect adults because their prevalence rises with age (Varadaraj et al, 2022). However, several significant factors affecting vision and hearing impairment start early in life and could be classified as neurocognitive. Children with refractive errors, the most prevalent type of visual impairment, have challenges in low-income nations where many people lack access to eyewear and fundamental eye care services. Refractive errors can, however, be easily diagnosed and treated using low-cost procedures, which can be included in basic care screening services. The capacity to hear and repeat sounds is a prerequisite for speaking (Varadaraj et al, 2022). The first two years of life are the best time for speech acquisition; if a child cannot communicate by the age of five or six, it will be difficult for them to later produce understandable speech. The hearing of a child who is suspected of having mental retardation or a delay in speech development should therefore be assessed, as well as their hearing (Gapurova, 2022).

Behavioral Disorders

Resources for mental health services are much more scarce compared to those for physical care in most poor countries. As a result, many children with behavioral or psychological issues go untreated or without a proper diagnosis (United Nations Children’s Fund, 2022). Although there is a paucity of official data, behavioral issues are likely more prevalent in low-income countries than in wealthy ones due to the overabundance of poverty, warfare, starvation, and natural disasters in the developing globe (United Nations Children’s Fund, 2022). In addition, contemporary societal changes and increasing urbanization in many low-income countries have had unfavorable repercussions, like residential evictions and the disruption of conventional family structures, which have left many children homeless and displaced (Brunsting et al, 2022). Autism and attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorders are behavioral illnesses that are not always related to psychosocial origins. These illnesses can have a significant negative impact on both families and educational performance (Shaw et al., 2021). Therefore, there is a need for early identification which can significantly improve outcomes for children.

Research shows that the prevalence rate of developmental disabilities in children continues to rise and hence, it is an issue that can never be ignored (Kim, 2021). However, the detection of these developmental disabilities remains lower than their actual prevalence (United Nations Children’s Fund, 2022). For instance, children with specific learning difficulties are rarely not recognized until after they start school when there is a clear disparity between their skills and their performance in particular areas (Lee & Taylor, 2022). These children might learn to cope with their obstacles and succeed at levels that are average or even above average with the help of special academic accommodations. However, waiting until the child begins school to identify the abnormalities can be more dangerous as compared to identifying the problem early before the child starts schooling. This would ensure that they receive a diagnosis at the right time.

Controlling the fundamental issue or disease that leads to developmental impairment is considered basic prevention (Kim, 2021). Vaccination against congenital rubella and salt iodization against iodine deficit are two examples (Mudalige, Ranasinghe & Stojanovic, 2022). Secondary prevention aims to stop sickness or injury from turning into a permanent handicap. Examples of such interventions include infant PKU screening (Al-Bari, 2022), accompanied by nutritional adjustments (John, Black & Nelson III, 2017), and trauma emergency treatment. Through early detection of potentially debilitating illnesses and therapies targeted at avoiding or limiting incapacity, there are numerous possibilities for secondary prevention of intellectual impairments in low-income nations (United Nations Children’s Fund, 2022). The provision of vision and hearing inspection, eye, and ear care, and refract light and hearing aid services at the basic health care level; enhanced availability of urgent services are a few of these (Varadaraj, Friedman & Swenor, 2022). They involve initial recognition and adjustments of vitamin deficiency as well as other forms of malnourishment; PKU testing preceded by diet adjustment; precise and timely recognition and impactful control of bacterial infectious diseases that can cause hearing loss. Others include appropriate therapy of malaria; and Initiatives like prenatal and neonatal surveillance (Eden et al., 2021), iodine enrichment of food production, and various immunization of mothers to avoid chronic illnesses such as measles and polio have long been beneficial to children in developing nations.

Due to their initial beginnings and the frequent lifetime dependency that results, developmental impairments cost significant personal, societal, and financial consequences. As they get older, children with impairments frequently have limited work, productivity, and quality of life possibilities (Kim, 2022). They also frequently have limited educational chances. However, in situations when pertinent data and services are unavailable, it is challenging to estimate the expenses of developmental disability. Hence, it is better to identify the abnormalities early enough, so that they can be rectified before developing into stages that would endanger the life of the victims (United Nations Children’s Fund, 2022).

Running head: DISABILITY AWARENESS PROGRAM 1

Early Childhood Developmental Disability Awareness Program

Gaby L. Johnson

Nova Southeastern University

HSDD 6000

Assignment B

Adela Beckerman-Fontana

January 21, 2023

Significance and Relevance for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities

The “Early Signs” program is significant in the field of developmental disabilities as it offers California’s child population with a chance to access the required interventions early enough by appropriately identifying any potential developmental disabilities and addressing them as required. This is important in the field of developmental disabilities as it helps to fill the gap where many children go undiagnosed until it is too late to implement workable interventions. The program is also significant in this field as it will provide a chance of awareness creation and education of parents, teachers, and other caregivers with regards to developmental disabilities. This is important because these individuals interact with children daily and thus, they are in a better position to quickly point out developmental disabilities. Equally, they are also in a better position to implement possible interventions to kids with diagnosed developmental disabilities.

The program will have a great positive impact on the target population as it incorporates all relevant stakeholders in the field of developmental disabilities. By mainly targeting children, the program will allow for the early detection of any signs of potential disabilities that can be addressed early enough, thereby allowing the child to achieve normal growth and meet their developmental milestones. By incorporating education providers, parents, family advocates, caregivers, and guardians of kids, the program allows all the relevant stakeholders to participate in addressing and handling developmental disabilities. This is important because, with proper training and guidance (offered by the program), early detection of developmental disabilities is made possible, and children get to benefit maximumly from the implemented interventions. The program also saves the target population from suffering from future financial, emotional, and social issues that may arise from developmental disabilities. This is because some developmental disabilities become permanent when left untreated. However, early detection of such disabilities will promote early interventions to avoid future complications (The Children’s League, 2023).

References

The Children’s League (2023). Benefits of Early Intervention. Accessed from

https://www.tclny.org/benefits-of-early-intervention

SOLUTION