Characteristics of young children with developmental delays and their trends over 14 years in Taiwan: a population-based nationwide study.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVES:To describe the epidemiological characteristics of developmental delays (DD) at the national level and assess the changes over time. DESIGN:We calculated the incidence rates of DD from 2003 to 2016 and assessed the trends over time. SETTING:As dictated by law, local governments in Taiwan are required to register children with DD and provide services. The central government has constructed a national registry with the data from local centres. We analysed the national registry data. PARTICIPANTS:We included children who were under 6 years old, and this population ranged from 1 164 150 to 1 577 443 per year during the study period. All registered cases were certified through a process set forth by law. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES:We calculated annual incidence rates by a

SUBMITTER: Lai DC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5942477 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature