Developmental neurological follow-up – in an interdisciplinary framework

Abstract

Neurodevelopmental follow-up is an important component in the continuum of health care for infants and young children who are at higher-than-average risk for psychomotor development impairment. It comprises the monitoring and support of the physical, motoric, socio-cognitive, linguistic and emotional pathways of development of the children concerned. The complexity of the follow-up requires an interdisciplinary approach, integrating the expertise of different disciplines to provide comprehensive and complex treatment to ensure optimal outcomes.

In our study, we aim to present our professional model of interdisciplinary neurodevelopmental follow-up, describing the theoretical framework of the model and then linking it to case studies of its implementation in practice.

We review the phases of the interdisciplinary neurodevelopmental process model. We describe the importance and competencies of the different disciplines of the team, the possibilities of harnessing their diverse expertise to make accurate diagnoses and to define coordinated and effective strategies for intervention that are appropriate for families. Case studies will be used to illustrate how these complex aspects can be implemented in practice to support young children with diverse developmental pathways and their families.