title: Screening for developmental disabilities in developing countries.
abstract: Despite waxing international interest in child disability, little information exists about the situation of children with disabilities in developing countries. Using a culture-free screen for child disability from the 2005-2007 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, this study reports percentages of children in 16 developing countries who screened positive for cognitive, language, sensory, and motor disabilities, covariation among disabilities, deviation contrasts that compare each country to the overall effect of country (including effects of age and gender and their interactions), and associations of disabilities with the Human Development Index. Developmental disabilities vary by child age and country, and younger children in developing countries with lower standards of living are more likely to screen positive for disabilities. The discussion of these findings revolves around research and policy implications.
authors.affiliation: Child and Family Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service, USA. Electronic address: Marc_H_Bornstein@nih.gov.
authors.forename: Marc H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Bornstein
authors.forename: Charlene
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hendricks
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D019988:Children with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution
keywords: Child development; Developing countries; Developmental disabilities; Human development index; Policy making; Risk factors