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How to reduce the number of children awaiting the diagnosis of intellectual disability in Brazil?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

T. Tafla
Affiliation:
Postgraduate Program In Developmental Disorders, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, São Paulo, Brazil
D. Brunoni
Affiliation:
Postgraduate Program In Developmental Disorders, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, São Paulo, Brazil
L.R. Carreiro
Affiliation:
Postgraduate Program In Developmental Disorders, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, São Paulo, Brazil
A. Seabra
Affiliation:
Postgraduate Program In Developmental Disorders, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, São Paulo, Brazil
L. Da Silva
Affiliation:
Postgraduate Program In Electrical And Computer Engineering, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, São Paulo, Brazil
A.C. Rossi
Affiliation:
Postgraduate Program In Electrical And Computer Engineering, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, São Paulo, Brazil
P.H. Dos Santos
Affiliation:
Postgraduate Program In Developmental Disorders, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, São Paulo, Brazil
M.C. Teixeira*
Affiliation:
Postgraduate Program In Developmental Disorders, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, São Paulo, Brazil
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

In Brazil there is high number of children with Intellectual Disability (ID) who begin basic education but did not receive a diagnosis. The basic education teachers can be important agents in identifying signs of ID in the student so that they can be referred to health services.

Objectives

To develop and implement a decision-making model for basic education teachers to identify students with predictive signs of ID.

Methods

The sample was composed by 51 teachers from 20 public schools and their 1758 students eligible for the study enrolled in a educational network in São Paulo state, Brazil. A standardized model was developed for the evaluation process using an open-source software named BONITA. For the screening of students with ID signs the teachers answered a checklist based on the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-5 and the students were evaluated with neuropsychological test WASI (Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence) and neuropsychiatric assessment. A Classification Based on Association Rules (CBA) generated the predictive models of sensitivity for confirming ID from the items in the checklists.

Results

35 children had suspected ID. The CBA showed an accuracy of 82%, identifying only 1 false-negative case and 3 false-positive cases for ID. According to the teachers, the most accurate signs were deficits in abstract thinking skills, deficits in communication and conversation and difficulties in emotional regulation in social interactions.

Conclusions

The decision-making model by elementary school teachers to identify students with ID showed high levels of sensitivity and can help the waiting for diagnosis.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Type
Abstract
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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