Some Immigrant Mothers Need Child-Development Education

Could help with speech, hearing problems, experts say

MONDAY, Nov. 1, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- Some immigrant mothers in the United States don't know enough about child development and that could have a negative impact on their children's health.

That's the conclusion of a report by researchers at the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

The study found that some immigrant mothers from South America and Japan weren't as well informed about normal child development as European-American mothers. Mothers without proper knowledge of child development could miss warning signs that their children may need medical attention or early intervention for speech, hearing or other problems.

Pediatricians can help solve this problem by educating parents who lack knowledge about child development, the study authors wrote.

"New parents have a need for accurate and helpful information about child development and pediatricians can help meet that need. In turn, parents who have an understanding of child development can provide pediatricians with information that will help them better serve pediatric patients," NICHD Director Dr. Duane Alexander said in a prepared statement.

The study included 114 mothers of 20-month-old children. There were 38 Japanese immigrant mothers, 36 South American immigrant mothers, and 40 fourth- and fifth-generation European-American mothers.

The findings appear in the November issue of Pediatrics.

More information

The Nemours Foundation has more about child growth and development.

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