Peer-reviewed article
Early Childhood Development – The Role of The Paediatrician
Elif Nursel Özmert ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This paper describes the role of paediatricians in supporting early childhood development across multiple domains. It outlines how paediatricians can promote child development and screen for developmental delays through work in health, nutrition, responsive caregiving, safe environments, and early education. The paper emphasizes that paediatricians must work in multidisciplinary teams to effectively address all dimensions of early childhood development according to the WHO/UNICEF Nurturing Care framework.
Key points
- Early childhood development encompasses physical, cognitive, linguistic, and socioemotional development until primary school
- Many children do not reach their developmental potential despite early development being a child right
- The WHO/UNICEF Nurturing Care framework identifies 5 main domains: health, nutrition, responsive caregiving, secure-safe environment, and early education opportunities
- Paediatricians have responsibility for developmental surveillance and screening for early diagnosis
- Paediatricians can act as service providers, advocates, researchers, or educators across all five domains
Limitations
This is a conceptual paper describing roles and frameworks rather than evaluating any specific intervention or providing evidence about effectiveness. It does not identify which countries' health systems are discussed or provide data on outcomes achieved.
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.