Investing in Children's Health and Development: A Podcast

October 7, 2008

Less than half of children with developmental problems, including speech and language delays, mental retardation, learning disabilities, and emotional and behavioral problems, are identified before starting school. But the early identification and treatment of such problems can help prevent them from becoming costly and intractable issues later.

In the latest episode of New Directions in Health Care: The Commonwealth Fund Podcast, Robbie Harris looks at the impact in Iowa of the Commonwealth Fund-supported Assuring Better Child Health and Development (ABCD) initiative, which was designed to improve the delivery of developmental services through policy and practice change in selected states. In Iowa, a focus on developmental screening, as well as on the mental health of the family and referrals to appropriate providers for treatment, has led to more comprehensive care.

Listen to the podcast to hear from Neva Kaye, senior program director of the National Academy for State Health Policy, Mary Nauman, director of primary care at Medical Associates in Dubuque, and others on the frontlines of this effort to improve developmental services for young children.