News: Child Development

Pediatricians Teach Child Development

December 15, 2004

The National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD) conducted a study of immigrant mothers from Japan and South America in order to assess their knowledge of child development. The study found that immigrant mothers knew less about child development than did their European American counterparts. These gaps in knowledge could affect the mother's ability to determine when to seek medical attention or early intervention for their child. This is important because 1 in 5 children in the U.S. live with at least one immigrant parent, which is further exacerbated considering that the Asian and Latino populations are also expected to triple over the next 50 years.

In this study, the largest gap in knowledge was found in child development (i.e. when babbling is appropriate or when an infant will respond to his/her name). It is important to have knowledge about the developmental milestones of childhood development for many reasons. One important reason of having this knowledge enables a mother to recognize any problems the child may experience and she could raise the issue with her child's pediatrician. Doing so, contributes greatly to avoiding long term problems.

Another reason is that a lack of knowledge about what constitutes normal infant behavior could also affect a mother's relationship with her child. For instance, if a mother does not know that it is normal for some children to dislike being held she might think that she is not doing well raising her child. This study suggests that pediatricians need to be aware of the expectations and beliefs of immigrant mothers about child development. With this understanding, providers will be better able to serve these communities.

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Source: "Pediatricians Can Help Immigrant Mothers by Explaining Child Development, NICHD Study Suggests", November 1, 2004, Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)