Abstract
Background: Adverse communication development in preschool children is a risk factor influencing child health and well-being with a negative impact on social participation. Language and social skills develop and maintain human adaptability over the life course. However, the accuracy of detecting language problems in asymptomatic children in primary care needs to be improved. Therefore, it is important to identify concerns about language development as a risk factor for child health. The association between parental and professional caregivers' concerns about language development and the level of preschool social participation was assessed, as well as the possible mediating/moderating effect of the perception of social competence. In addition, validity and predictive value of parental and professional caregivers' concerns about language development were tested.Methods: To identify emerging concerns about development and social participation, a community sample of 341 preschool children was systematically assessed with a comprehensive preventive child health care “toolkit” of instruments, including parent-completed tools like the Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) and child competence Visual Analog Scales (VAS). At baseline, children were aged 3 years and at follow-up ~4 years.Results: There was a statistically significant association between parental and professional caregivers' concerns about language development and the level of preschool social participation, with a mediating effect of child social competence at the age of 3 years as well as 4 years. Negative predictive value of parental and professional caregiver language concerns at the age of 3 and 4 years were 99 and 97%, respectively. Furthermore, this article showed that while some preschool children grow out of language problems, others may develop them.Conclusion: Short but valid pediatric primary care tools like the PEDS and child competence VAS can support monitoring and early identification of concerns about language development and social competence as a risk factor for preschool social participation. Personalized health care requires continued communication between parents, professional caregivers and preventive child health care about parental and professional caregiver perceptions concerning preschool language development as well as the perception of a child's social competence.
Highlights
Poor communication is a risk factor influencing child health and well-being with adverse consequences for behavior, literacy, learning, mental health, future employment, parenting, the generation, and social inequalities [1, 2].Effective communication is fundamental to the initiation and maintenance of successful peer relations [3, 4]
The present study was performed as part of the Monitoring Outcome Measurements of child development (MOM) study, a prospective observational study within Preventive Child Health Care (PCHC) practice
The results in this paper suggest concurrent and predictive validity of the Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) to assess parental and professional caregivers’ language development concerns, as well as the mediating effect of professional caregivers’ perception of the child’s social competence in the association between these concerns and social participation at the age of 3 years as well as the age of 4 years
Summary
Poor communication is a risk factor influencing child health and well-being with adverse consequences for behavior, literacy, learning, mental health, future employment, parenting, the generation, and social inequalities [1, 2].Effective communication is fundamental to the initiation and maintenance of successful peer relations [3, 4]. Language and social skills are needed; they develop and maintain human adaptability over the life course [6, 7]. Early receptive language problems are a significant risk factor for adult mental health [1]. Adverse communication development in preschool children is a risk factor influencing child health and well-being with a negative impact on social participation. Language and social skills develop and maintain human adaptability over the life course. It is important to identify concerns about language development as a risk factor for child health. The association between parental and professional caregivers’ concerns about language development and the level of preschool social participation was assessed, as well as the possible mediating/moderating effect of the perception of social competence. Validity and predictive value of parental and professional caregivers’ concerns about language development were tested
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