The effects of a developmental stimulation program on children from birth to 5 years at risk of developmental delay.

Abstract

      This action research aimed to examine the effects of a developmental stimulation program for children aged birth to 5 years who were at risk of developmental delay. The study was conducted from March 2025 to June 2026. The participants were children aged birth to 5 years and their caregivers who attended the Well Child Clinic at Ban Lao Tao Subdistrict Health Promoting Hospital, Huai Phra Subdistrict, Don Tum District Public Health Office, Nakhon Pathom Province. At first, 90 participants were recruited; however, complete data were available for final analysis from 80 participants. The research instruments consisted of a child demographic record form, a caregiver demographic record form, a knowledge test on developmental promotion, and A Thai Early Developmental Assessment for Intervention. The assessment covered five developmental domains: gross motor, fine motor and cognitive development, receptive language, expressive language, and personal-social development. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. Pre- and post-program scores were compared using the independent t-test to determine the effectiveness of the intervention.

      The findings revealed that most children were male (56.25%), and the largest age group was 1–2 years (37.50%). Most caregivers were female (72.50%). After participating in the program, the proportion of caregivers with a very good level of knowledge increased from 12.50% to 55.00%. The mean knowledge score increased from 3.09 ± 0.60 before the program to 4.21 ± 0.47 after the program, with a statistically significant difference (p = 0.001). Regarding child development, all children were suspected of having developmental delay before participating in the program (100%). After 30 days of program implementation, 47.50% of the children showed age-appropriate development.