Page 62 - Demo

Typical and atypical child development
Research in child development and behaviour has been integral to the improvement of child and adult well-being, and the development of nations. There is limited research on the development and behaviour of children in lower and middle income countries (LMICs), where the highest rates of delayed development in young children and school failure in school- age children occur. Research on both typical and atypical development from biological and environmental causes, and the resulting evidence-based interventions and policy implications have been the main foci for the Child Development and Behaviour Research and Intervention Team of the Department of Child and Adolescent Health.
Understanding typical development
JAKIDS, the Jamaican Birth Cohort Study 2011, Phase II
Birth cohort studies, which follow large numbers of children from their birth (or before), have been identified as a robust way to understand the complex factors that impact child development. These studies collect information on many aspects of children’s lives and investigate their interrelationship. Few birth cohort studies are conducted in LMICs, because of cost and complexity. Yet they are specially recommended to allow evidence-based allocation of limited resources and development of preventive and/or intervention strategies.
The JAKIDS study has a special focus on fatherhood, as absentee fathers is an identified problem in Jamaica.
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Recognising Outstanding Researchers 2016