Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Early Intervention In Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Need For An International Approach, Amina Abubakar, Patricia Kipkemoi

Institute for Human Development

Globally, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects approximately 1 in 100 children. Ideally, a diagnosis is made with the onset of symptoms before 3 years of age; however, a diagnosis may sometimes be delayed until 6 years or later. There has been an increase in ASD research over the last few decades, with many systematic reviews and meta-analyses synthesizing research evidence for ASD interventions in children. Evidence tends to support the notion that intervention for ASD must occur as early as possible, close to the critical periods when early social and communication skills are developing. Therefore, early screening and intervention could …

Long-Term Neurocognitive And Educational Outcomes Of Neonatal Insults In Kilifi, Kenya, Dorcas N. Magai, Hans M. Koot, Paul Mwangi, Esther Chongwo, Charles R. Newton, Amina Abubakar

Institute for Human Development

Background: There is little data on the long-term neurocognitive and educational outcomes among school-aged survivors of neonatal jaundice (NNJ) and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in Africa. This study investigates the long-term neurocognitive and educational outcomes and the correlates of these outcomes in school-aged survivors of NNJ or HIE in Kilifi, Kenya.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on neurocognitive and educational outcomes among school-aged survivors (6–12 years) of NNJ (n = 134) and HIE (n = 107) and compared them to a community comparison group (n = 134). We assessed nonverbal intelligence, planning, working memory, attention, syntax, pragmatics, wordfinding, …

Quantifying Long-Term Health And Economic Outcomes For Survivors Of Group B Streptococcus Invasive Disease In Infancy: Protocol Of A Multi-Country Study In Argentina, India, Kenya, Mozambique And South Africa, Proma Paul, Simon R. Procter, Ziyaad Dangor, Quique Bassat, Amina Abubakar, Sridhar Santhanam, Romina Libster, Bronner P. Gonçalves, Shabir A. Madhi, Azucena Bardají

Institute for Human Development

Sepsis and meningitis due to invasive group B Streptococcus (iGBS) disease during early infancy is a leading cause of child mortality. Recent systematic estimates of the worldwide burden of GBS suggested that there are 319,000 cases of infant iGBS disease each year, and an estimated 147,000 stillbirths and young-infant deaths, with the highest burden occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa. The following priority data gaps were highlighted: (1) long-term outcome data after infant iGBS, including mild disability, to calculate quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) or disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and (2) economic burden for iGBS survivors and their families. Geographic data gaps were …

Effects Of Vitamin D Deficiency On Neurobehavioural Outcomes In Children: A Systematic Review, Agnes M. Mutua, Reagan M. Mogire, Alison M. Elliott, Thomas N. Williams, Emily L. Webb, Amina Abubakar, Sarah H. Atkinson

Institute for Human Development

Introduction: Vitamin D plays an important role in brain development in experimental studies; however, the effect of vitamin D deficiency on child development remains inadequately characterized. We aimed to estimate the effects of vitamin D deficiency on neurobehavioural outcomes in children up to 18 years of age.

Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Open Grey for published studies up to 10th January 2020. We included all studies that assessed the effects of maternal or child vitamin D status or vitamin D supplementation on neurobehavioural outcomes in children. Study findings were synthesized qualitatively as …