The Perceptions of Developmental Delay among Physicians and Therapists from Early Intervention Units

• Main Authors: Lin Yu-Ping, 林玉萍
• Other Authors: Tseng Chin-hsing
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2001
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/83639349348952468880

碩士 === 國立高雄師範大學 === 特殊教育學系 === 89 === The Perceptions of Developmental Delay among Physicians and Therapists from Early Intervention Units Abstract The conceptualization of developmental delay was surveyed among the medical physicians and rehabilitation therapists in Taiwan. Medical physicians were sampled from the unit of developmental delay in major medical centers and also from private clinics. Therapists were all involved in early intervention services in Kaohsiung and Tainan areas. As to the definition of developmental delay, the three subject groups tend to agree on these items: (1) Age range is restricted to 0 to six; (2) The growth curve goes up very slowly with age and never reaches the normal age level; (3) Language is considered the most susceptible area; (4) Children without diagnosed disabilities but having “established” high risks are included; (5) Children with diagnosed disabilities are included; (6) Early intervention has both preventive and proactive goals. No consensus was reached among the three groups over the diagnostic criteria for developmental delay. The quantitative criteria (e.g., 2 SD below age peers in at least on developmental area) were favored by the physicians from medical centers, while the clinical judgment （e.g., substantial delay compared to age peers）was preferred by the physicians from private clinics. On the other hand, both approaches were adopted by the rehabilitation therapists. Physicians differed in their use of assessment tools according to their employment setting. That is, about ninety percent of the physicians from the medical centers and forty percent of the physicians from private clinics use psychometric assessment tools. BSID（Bayley Scales of Infant Development） and DDST（Denver Development Screening Test） were the two assessment tools most frequently employed in medical settings. The early intervention services provided to children by rehabilitation therapists tend to focus on “enhancing current functions, correcting major problems, and training certain skills”. In addition, the services with families tend to take the form of parent consultation and home-based plans with emphasis on parental job training. Aspects to be improved in early intervention services include referral information, pre-service training for teachers, collaboration among educational and medical agencies, and continuing follow-ups. Finally, recommendations are made as to early identification and early intervention according to the results of this study. keywords：diagnostic criteria , early intervention , developmental delay