MONITORING CHILD DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD: ASSESSING THE QUALITY OF CARE PRACTICES AND LIMITING FACTORS IN THE EARLY DETECTION OF NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS

Abstract

Monitoring child development in early childhood is an essential dimension of child health care, as it allows for tracking the acquisition of motor, cognitive, linguistic, and socio-emotional skills, as well as the early identification of possible neurodevelopmental delays. Considering the relevance of this monitoring and the challenges related to its implementation in health services, this study aimed to evaluate the quality of child development monitoring practices in early childhood and analyze the limiting factors associated with the early detection of neurodevelopmental delays. This is an integrative literature review, conducted according to systematized methodological steps, with searches performed in the PubMed, SciELO, LILACS, and Web of Science databases, using controlled descriptors and keywords related to child development and child health care. Studies available in full, published in Portuguese, English, or Spanish, that addressed development monitoring practices and factors associated with limitations of this process in health services were included. The results show that child development monitoring practices present significant variations in frequency, systematization, and incorporation of available instruments, such as the Child's Health Record and standardized screening scales. It was observed that the irregular use of these instruments, the absence of institutional norms, the reduced consultation time, weaknesses in the organization of the work process, and difficulties in the articulation between levels of care constitute limiting factors for the early detection of neurodevelopmental delays. It is concluded that, although child development monitoring is recognized in national guidelines as a longitudinal and structuring action of care, its implementation in services still occurs heterogeneously, demanding strengthening of the care organization, training of teams, and systematic incorporation of monitoring practices into the routine of child health care.