Training on Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development held

ALIGARH  : The Department of Pediatrics, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, in collaboration with Pearson Academy India, organized its first, self-financed, training on Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (4th edition) for the postgraduate students of the department.

The first of its kind training in Uttar Pradesh was conducted by Dr. Nidhi Gupta who is a national consultant trainer with Pearson Academy India, and who has been trained in Neuro developmental follow up of high risk neonates from Kings College Centre for the Developing Brain, London; and Hammersmith Hospital, London.

The BSID-4 training was conducted in 2 parts: a two hour long hour online session on May 10; and daylong offline training on May 12. A total of 31 participants from the Department of Pediatrics and DEIC-COE attended the training.

Addressing the inaugural function, the chief guest, AMU Vice Chancellor, Prof. Naima Khatoon highlighted the plight of families of children with delayed achievement of the expected development, who suffered immensely as a consequence of lack of knowledge about the possible modalities of diagnosis or support. In their desperation to find some help for their child, and in the hope that something would eventually work, the poor parents keep on visiting various health providers, including quacks, and trying treatments of all kinds in vain.

She congratulated the department of Pediatrics for having thought of initiating this training.

Earlier, welcoming the guests, Prof. Zeeba Zaka-ur-Rab, Chairperson, Department of Pediatrics and Organizing Chairman, presented a brief overview of the training. Stressing upon the need for the training, she said that developmental delays were a common childhood problem, encountered in 10%–15% of preschool children, which, were usually identified during routine checks by the primary care physician or when the parent or preschool raised concerns.

She said that researches suggest that effective early identification of developmental delays and timely early intervention could positively alter the long-term trajectory of an affected child, and help him or her lead a near normal and fruitful life. She said that it was imperative to train the postgraduate residents, who were the budding pediatricians of tomorrow, in the accurate administration as well as interpretation of tests for developmental screening and diagnosis.

She shared her vision to include this training as a regular part of the post-graduate teaching programme of her Department, and later on even open it for other Colleges and other interested pediatricians as well.

The Medical Superintendent of JNMCH, Prof. Syed Waseem Rizvi, while talking about the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (BSID), said that these scales, which were first published in 1969 by Nancy Bayley, and revised 4 times subsequently, were the most comprehensive, formal developmental assessment tool for diagnosing early developmental delay in children.

Stressing the relevance of this training, Dr. Nidhi Gupta, emphasized that it would be helpful in ensuring that children with deficits in any domain of neurodevelopment are picked up early, diagnosed with accuracy, and initiated on management in a timely manner.

The Organizing Secretary of the BSID-4 training, Dr. Gulnaz Nadri extended a vote of thanks.