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Healthy Child Development Peer Presenter Program

Healthy Child Development Mainpro® - C Program

The Integrated Services for Children Division of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care and the Ministry of Community, Family and Children’s Services provided the OCFP with an educational grant to develop a Mainpro® - C program on Healthy Child Development. This program emphasizes the use of the Antenatal Record, the Alpha Record, the Rourke Record and the Nipissing Record as tools for effective assessment of pregnant women, infants and young children to ensure the early identification and effective response to information gaps, lack of parenting skills and other factors that may lead to developmental delays or handicaps.

The following is a list of the six modules covered in this program:

The Early Years – neuroscience research and human development research
The Parenting Connection – the important role of parents in child development
The Assessment of Family Functioning – use of screening and assessment tools
The Assessment of Child Development – normal and delayed child development
The Approach to Identified Patients and Families – case management and coordination
Linkage to Community Resources – role of Public Health and other community agencies

The program serves as a bridge between the Healthy Babies and the Healthy Children programs managed by the Public Health Departments. It provides an educational forum for family doctors, nurse practitioners, midwives and public health nurses, and other health care professionals to develop strategies to better meet the needs of pregnant women, infants, and young children.

Healthy Child Development Workshops

Health Child Development: Improving the Odds

The quality of early childhood experiences has an important influence on brain development and subsequent learning, behavior and health. The purpose of this program is to highlight developments in early neurodevelopment and to explore how these developments can be incorporated into medical practice. This interactive, case-based workshop will provide an overview of the field of Preventative Pediatric Health Care (0-6 years) through the well baby/child visit, using various evidence-based tools. In particular, the Rourke Baby Record and the Nipissing District Developmental Screen will be utilized. Early identification of preconception and prenatal psychosocial issues, a Preconception Checklist and the Antenatal Record will be introduced. The Healthy Child Development Improving the Odds Manual will be used as a resource.

In conjunction with the development of the Healthy Child Mainpro® - C program, the OCFP partnered with Best Start to develop a toolkit manual to accompany the teaching workshop. This manual contains background information, various clinical tools, and cases. To view this manual CLICK HERE – Improving the Odds: Healthy Child Development Manual 2007 4th Edition

Healthy Child Development: Facing the Challenges

Listed below are topics that are included in the “Facing the Challenges” Manual. These topics can be given as individual in-depth programs or in combination. To view this manual CLICK HERE – Facing the Challenges Manual

Healthy Child Development: Focus on Psychosocial Risk Assessment and Substance Use Issues

Antenatal psychosocial health assessment is a vital component of prenatal care. The ALPHA Form has been incorporated into the Antenatal Record and will help identify factors relating to maternal, family, substance use and family violence issues. Care of pregnant women with identified risks can be challenging. This interactive case-based workshop will build on the information covered in the Healthy Child Development: Improving the Odds and Facing the Challenges manuals to provide strategies for identification, management and treatment of concerns identified in the preconception, prenatal and postpartum periods to ensure the best possible outcomes for children. Substance Use in Pregnancy will be also discussed using the PRIMA (Pregnancy Related Issues in the Management of Addictions) provider manual.

Healthy Child Development: Attachment Theory and Attachment Disorder

This workshop will assist the practitioner in developing an understanding of Attachment Theory and Attachment Disorder in infants and toddlers. There will be information provided on various parenting behaviors and their impact on patterns of attachment. Suggestions will be provided for some primary care interventions that can improve attachment and referral resources within the community with attachment issues. The Healthy Child Development Improving the Odds and Facing the Challenges will be used as resources.

Healthy Child Development: Aboriginal Families

This workshop will discuss some aspects of Aboriginal culture and history as it pertains to the 0 to 6 age group and their families. The program will promote a compassionate approach to working with Aboriginal families and the practitioner will learn how to identify some practical strategies for working with Aboriginal families. The Healthy Child Development Facing the Challenges will be used as a resource.

Healthy Child Development: Development Delay (including Autistic Spectrum Disorder)

This workshop will explore how to diagnose and offer management strategies to families with children who suffer from Developmental Delay including Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Developmental Coordination Delay, Muscular Dystrophy and Cerebral Palsy. Developmental Surveillance tools such as the Rourke Baby Record and the Nipissing District Developmental Tool will be discussed. The Healthy Child Development Improving the Odds and Facing the Challenges Manuals will be used as resources.

Healthy Child Development: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

This workshop will explore strategies for early identification of women at risk from substance use during pregnancy. It will also cover areas relevant to child development and approaches for linkage to community resources to optimize management of common behavioral issues that develop in children affected by this condition. The Healthy Child Development Improving the Odds and Facing the Challenges manuals will be used as a resource.

Healthy Child Development: Postpartum Mood Disorders

This workshop will cover issues related to the normal psychological development of women in pregnancy and how it can affect their adjustment to their newborn and affect attachment in the parental/child relationship. The workshop will also look at diagnosis and treatment options for women suffering from postpartum depression, anxiety and psychosis, and strategies for using Interpersonal Psychotherapy as a treatment modality for those women who are suffering from postpartum mood disorders. Practical tools such as the Edinburgh Postpartum Screening Tool and flowcharts for clinical management will be included. The Healthy Child Development Facing the Challenges Manual will be used as a resource.

Healthy Child Development: The Role of the Father

This workshop will look at issues of relevance for fathers of infants and young children and how they can improve the attachment relationship. There will be case-based discussion of how a father can assist in the case of postpartum depression in the mother and also in how he can cope with his own emotions during the transition from couple to family. The Healthy Child Development Facing the Challenges Manual will be used as a resource.

Healthy Child Development: The Enhanced 18 Month Well Baby Visit

This workshop will look at how primary care practitioners can optimize proactive health and developmental surveillance. The enhanced 18 Month Well Child Visit will be used s an example of an opportunity to do a full review of parent-child interactions, evidence regarding clinical maneuvers that need to be done and discussion of the role of child care and other community resources. The evidence gathered by the Guidelines Advisory Committee underpinning the use of the Rourke Record at the 18 Month Visit will be presented in detail. The Healthy Child Development Improving the Odds and Facing the Challenges manuals will be used as resources.

Healthy Child Development: Nutrition and Child Development

This workshop will look at maternal nutrition and dietary intake in the prenatal period and its impact on child health outcomes. Information regarding feeding of the infant, breastfeeding and introduction of solids will be reviewed in detail. Iron deficiency and the health impacts of nutritional supplements will be discussed. The Healthy Child Development Improving the Odds manual will be used as a resource.

For Upcoming Workshops CLICK HERE

For other useful on-line resources CLICK HERE

For further information, contact Ms. Eilyn Rodriguez, Assistant Executive Director Research and Educational Services