How a government entity is ensuring holistic early childhood development

Intervening early in the lives of children with developmental delays or disabilities is key to enhancing their life chances. It gives you the best chance of increasing a child’s progress, making sure that the child starts school at the normal time and has the best possible start in life.

With this goal in mind, the Abu Dhabi ECA was set up to be an enabler and policy innovator in the early childhood sector. It is developing a framework for integrated early childhood intervention, introducing pilot schemes and gathering evidence to show why its proposed policies will make a difference.

The ECA is looking for ways to make a big impact. It aims to be a catalyst for change, preparing innovative policies for government agencies to evaluate and adopt. As it sets out to design groundbreaking policies, the ECA is continually asking itself: what actions will make the biggest improvement to the lives of these children?

Abu Dhabi’s ECA and its partners published 10,000 copies of its Early Intervention Guide in 2022 with an aim to help parents of young children with developmental delays or disabilities. Distributed to local clinics, service providers and government offices, the guide assists parents in navigating the complex landscape of early intervention and support services. It also encourages them to seek professional advice as early as possible when the first concerns are noticed. 

In addition to the guide, the ECA has rolled out different pilot programs which include training for parents of children with autism, providing effective strategies for the child at home and explaining which therapies can be beneficial. Another pilot is training pediatricians in developmental surveillance. And there is a pilot in making parents aware of the developmental milestones their child should attain in the early months and years of their life, with the aim of identifying any potential concerns. 

Perhaps the most impactful is the developmental monitoring pilot introduced at three hospitals across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to evaluate a universal surveillance and screening program for children aged up to three. Parents have been encouraged to bring their children in for regular screening and answer a few fundamental questions. The screening has picked up a far higher rate of concerns than would normally be the case — approximately one in six children has been identified to have potential developmental concerns and referred for further assessment.

The pilots diligently approach the problem from all angles and the ECA is exploring the most effective ways for the wider Abu Dhabi government to make a difference before a child reaches the age of five. Collectively, these pilots are designed to detect the challenges a child is facing as early as possible and then provide tailored support.

The EY organization is supporting the ECA team in designing the methodologies and information resources for these pilots, as part of a wider series of mandates assisting the ECA in planning a framework for early childhood intervention. 

After conducting the pilots, the ECA has found multiple ways to make a significant improvement to children with developmental delays or disabilities. Having done so, it is now looking to collaborate with other government entities to scale them up and design further mechanisms to better monitor and oversee the end-to-end journey of early childhood intervention.

For instance, the pilot for training pediatricians was so successful that ECA and the Department of Health joined forces to train all pediatricians across Abu Dhabi in developmental surveillance. The developmental screening pilot is also a contender for quick scaling up, with the aim to introduce a program across the Emirate for conducting systematic early screening and surveillance of all children under three.

Ideally, Abu Dhabi’s children will benefit from the multidimensional approach aimed at improving current systems and promoting integration across all involved entities. To ensure early identification of challenges, parents and doctors should remain vigilant in recognizing early warning signs and symptoms. This will enable doctors and other health care professionals to join forces to provide assistance, and schools can be better prepared to offer support when needed.

While the quest to improve the lives of thousands of children is in its early stages, the route to achieving our objective is becoming increasingly clear.

The journey toward improving the lives of thousands of children may be just beginning, but how to reach the destination is increasingly clear.