ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A COMMUNITY - BASED EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES IN HUE CITY Nguyen Viet Nhan; Ute Schwabe; Hoang Thi Dieu Hong; Tran Thi Phuong Anh; Huynh Thi Cam Tu WORLD REPORT ON DISABILITY SYMPOSIUM 5-6 DECEMBER 2011 THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

Hue College of Medicine and Pharmacy Hue city VIETNAM

Office of Genetic Counseling and Disabled Children (OGCDC)

Introducing the community- based Early Intervention program of OGCDC Support children with disabilities under 6 years of age Assess the effectiveness of early intervention in the community for children with disabilities using the PORTAGE ASSESSMENT and INTERVENTION TOOL

Method Medical Examination Children Intake / Developmental Screening Eligible for services (33)NOT eligible for services Portage assessment Individualized service plan INTERVENTION Evaluation Teachers Parents Supervisors

Portage: Parent’s guide & Checklist Vietnamized Vineland and Portage Checklist Portage: Vietnammized tool kit A set of documet Document

The interdisciplinary meeting Evaluation the result of EI Training for home visitors Training for parents Training for home visitors and parents

Kinds of disabilities Subject Male (20) 60.6% Female (13) 39.4% Age:  1 y/o (2) 6.1%  2 y/o (7) 21.2%  3 y/o (14) 42.4%  4 y/o (5) 15.2%  5 y/o (4) 12.1%  6 y/o (1) 3.1%

Assessment and home visit Medical examination of childAssess childs abilities in 5 sessions Home-visits by a teachers

Playgroup activities Creating opportunities for parents to share together

Education of children pre- and post-participation the program Valid Before intervention (January/2010) After intervention (December/2010) Frequency (n=33) Percent Frequency (n=33) Percent No school Kindergarten Special school Normal primary school Early intervention class Results

Comparison of the developmental level of children’s skills after one year of intervention by Portage assessment checklist

Comparison of the developmental level of childrens’ skills between groups after one year intervention No Skills in first assessment Mean age in months Sig. Down Cerebral palsy Autism Learning difficulties Intellectual disabilities Mute and deaf 1 Socialization p < 0,05 2 Self help p > 0,05 3 Cognitive p < 0,05 4 Motor p>0,05 5 Language p < 0,05 First assessment

No Skill in second assessment Mean age in months Sig. Down Cerebral palsy Autism Learning difficulties Intellectual disabilities Mute and deaf 1Socialization p<0.05 2Self help p > 0,05 3Cognitive p1 = p2 = 0.06 p3 = Motor p<0.05 5Language p<0.05 Second assessment Comparison of the developmental level of childrens’ skills between groups after one year intervention

Conclusion Achievements  Raising awareness and skills of families.  Group activities for parents sharing their emotions and experiences in caring for their disabled children  Providing knowledge and enhancing skills for the teachers in supporting children with disabilities.  Beginning interdisciplinary cooperation: geneticist, paediatricians, psychiatrists, speech therapists, physical therapists, etc...  Children with disabilities have more opportunities to participate in social activities with their families and other children.

Difficulties  Limited of staff and supervisor in number and skill comparing to the current needs.  There is not really good cooperation yet among the interdisciplinary team in the program  Difficulties in diagnosis and assessment of skills of children with autism.  Experiencing limitations in intervention strategies for children with autism.  There are still a lack of schools / centers for children with autism to be integrated.

Thank you for your attention! Hue, my city