Early Childhood Development – The Role of The Paediatrician

Abstract

Early childhood development is the physical, cognitive, linguistic, and socioemotional development of young children until primary school. Although a child right, unfortunately many children cannot reach their developmental potential. A pediatrician is a physician who is concerned primarily with the health, welfare, and development of children. Pediatricians have the responsibility to promote early childhood development as well as developmental surveillance and screening for early diagnosis. The WHO/UNICEF Nurturing Care framework has specified 5 main strategies/domains: health, nutrition, responsive care giving, secure-safe environment and early education opportunities for early childhood development. The pediatrician plays the role of service provider, advocate, researcher or educator in all these domains. All these domains can only be successfully fulfilled through multidisciplinary collaboration, a way of working that pediatricians are accustomed to using.