Research roundup: June 2024

This new study analysed the outcomes of using an Infant–Toddler Checklist (ITC) in child health services in Sweden in toddlers aged 18 months. The authors note that disorders involving language and communication can start early and can significantly and adversely impact the child for the remainder of their life. To identify such disorders, professionals require a validated screening tool, and the researchers suggest the ITC on which they based their study as one such tool.

The children were each assessed by the visiting child health nurse at their 18-month visit when they were aged between 17 and 22 months. The team used the RE-AIM implementation framework, which helped them to assess the implementation of the ITC, analysing outcomes for reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation and maintenance. There were 2633 children, 1717 being in the pre-implementation group and 916 in the post-implementation group. To assess reach, the Dahlberg et al looked at the ITC completion rate. To assess the adoption of the tool, they analysed the use of the tool at each site, and to assess effectiveness, comparisons were made between referral rates to speech and language therapy, as this would infer that the potential disorder had been picked up early and led to referral to a specialist clinic for treatment.