Uptake of the Victorian Government school and early childhood service health promotion framework in the City of Greater Geelong according to area-level socioeconomic position.

ISSUE ADDRESSED: Whole-of-setting initiatives have been recommended as an equitable approach to health promotion. However, there has been little analysis of differences in uptake of such approaches according to indicators of socioeconomic position. In Victoria, Australia, the Achievement Program is a state government health promotion initiative that uses a whole-of-setting approach in early childhood services, schools and workplaces. We conducted an exploratory comparison of uptake of and progression through the programme by schools and early childhood services in one local area, according to area-level socioeconomic position. METHODS: Approximately 3 years after programme initiation, we linked data on the progress of 89 early childhood services and 67 primary schools to an area-level index of relative socioeconomic disadvantage. We compared uptake of and progression through the programme by setting (service or school) and quartiles of socioeconomic position. RESULTS: About 89% of early childhood services and 70% of primary schools had registered for the programme, with 18% and 15%, respectively, attaining the goal of completing the final stage. A greater proportion of settings in areas in the most disadvantaged quartile had registered for the programme and completed the final stage of the programme, compared with settings in areas in the least disadvantaged quartile. However, variation by socioeconomic position was not linear across quartiles. CONCLUSION: The Achievement Program did not appear to be inequitable in its uptake. Research into uptake in other local areas and outcomes achieved would be beneficial. SO WHAT?: This demonstrates that whole-of-setting approaches can potentially be an equity-enhancing approach to health promotion.

Improving Early Learning: State Legislative Actions in 2018.

(1) Since 2002, annual state spending on preschool has increased from $2.4 billion to $7.6 billion. (2) Nineteen percent of the nearly 20 million children under age 5 in the U.S. live in poverty. (3) Forty-eight percent of children from low-income families are ready for school at age 5, compared with 75 percent of children from families with moderate and high incomes.

Assistance to States for the Education of Children With Disabilities and Preschool Grants for Children With Disabilities Program; Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers With Disabilities. Final regulations.

The Secretary of Education (Secretary) amends the regulations implementing Parts B and C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). These conforming changes are needed to implement statutory amendments made to the IDEA by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), enacted on December 10, 2015. These regulations remove and revise IDEA definitions based on changes made to the definitions in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the ESSA, and also update several State eligibility requirements to reflect amendments to the IDEA made by the ESSA. They also update relevant cross-references in the IDEA regulations to sections of the ESEA to reflect changes made by the ESSA. These regulations also include several technical corrections to previously published IDEA Part B regulations.

Legal Provisions, Educational Services and Health Care Across the Lifespan for Autism Spectrum Disorders in India.

India is estimated to have over 10 million persons with autism. Rising awareness of autism in India over last decade with ready access to information has led to an increase in prevalence and earlier diagnosis, the creation of services and some policy initiatives. However, there remains a gaping chasm between policy and implementation. The reach and quality of services continues sketchy and uneven, especially in the area of education. The present review discusses existing legal provisions for children and adults with autism in India. It also discusses Governmental efforts and lacunae in existing health care facilities and education services in India. While there are examples of good practice and stories of hope, strong policy initiatives have to support grassroots action to improve the condition of persons with autism in India.

Networking to Improve Nutrition Policy Research.

Effective nutrition and obesity policies that improve the food environments in which Americans live, work, and play can have positive effects on the quality of human diets. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Nutrition and Obesity Policy Research and Evaluation Network (NOPREN) conducts transdisciplinary practice-based policy research and evaluation to foster understanding of the effectiveness of nutrition policies. The articles in this special collection bring to light a set of policies that are being used across the United States. They add to the larger picture of policies that can work together over time to improve diet and health.

Provision of Early Intervention and Special Education Services to Eligible DoD Dependents. Final rule.

This rule reissues the current regulations and: Establishes policy, assigns responsibilities, and implements the non-funding and non-reporting provisions in DoD for: Provision of early intervention services (EIS) to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families, as well as special education and related services to children with disabilities entitled under this part to receive education services from the DoD; implementation of a comprehensive, multidisciplinary program of EIS for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families who, but for age, are eligible to be enrolled in DoD schools; provision of a free appropriate public education (FAPE), including special education and related services, for children with disabilities, as specified in their individualized education programs (IEP), who are eligible to enroll in DoD schools; and monitoring of DoD programs providing EIS, and special education and related services for compliance with this part. This rule also establishes a DoD Coordinating Committee to recommend policies and provide compliance oversight for early intervention and special education.

Restricting state part C eligibility policy is associated with lower early intervention utilization.

To examine if state differences in early intervention (EI) utilization can be explained by recent restrictions on EI state eligibility policy. The sample (n = 923), derived from the 2009/10 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs, included CSHCN who were ages 0-3 with a developmental delay or disability that affected their function. Multi-level logistic modeling was used to describe state differences in EI utilization and to determine if narrower state eligibility policy explained these differences. EI utilization ranged from 6 to 87 % across states. Having a severe condition (ß = 0.99, SE = 0.28) and a usual source of care (ß = 0.01, SE = 0.001) was associated with higher odds of utilizing EI. Compared to a diagnosed disability, having a developmental delay (ß = -0.61, SE = 0.20) was associated with lower odds of utilizing EI. Living in a state with narrow and narrower state eligibility policy (ß = -0.18, SE = 0.06) was significantly associated with lower odds of EI utilization, and this effect was strongest for children with the most severe functional impairments. Significant state variation in EI rates exists that can be explained, in part, by the restrictiveness of state eligibility criteria. Children with the most severe functional impairments appear to be least likely to utilize EI in states with the most restrictive eligibility policies.

Action on the social determinants of health.

Closing the Gap in a Generation, the final report of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) proposed that inequities in power, money and resources were responsible for much of the inequalities in health within and between countries. A toxic combination of poor policies and programmes, unfair economic arrangements and bad governance led to inequalities in the conditions of daily life: the circumstances in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age. Our message is that there needs to be a cross-government commitment to action on social determinants of health. With this commitment, the knowledge synthesised in our report suggests that there is much that can be done at the practical level.

Predictors of receiving therapy among very low birth weight 2-year olds eligible for Part C early intervention in Wisconsin.

BACKGROUND: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Part C) authorizes states to establish systems to provide early intervention services (e.g., therapy) for children at risk, with the incentive of federal financial support. This study examines family and neighborhood characteristics associated with currently utilizing physical, occupational, or speech therapy among very low birthweight (VLBW) 2-year-old children who meet Wisconsin eligibility requirements for early intervention services (EI) due to developmental delay. METHODS: This cross-sectional analysis used data from the Newborn Lung Project, a regional cohort study of VLBW infants hospitalized in Wisconsin's newborn intensive care units during 2003-2004. We included the 176 children who were age two at follow-up, and met Wisconsin state eligibility requirements for EI based on developmental delay. Exact logistic regression was used to describe child and neighborhood socio-demographic correlates of parent-reported receipt of therapy. RESULTS: Among VLBW children with developmental delay, currently utilizing therapy was higher among children with Medicaid (aOR = 5.3, 95% CI: 1.3, 28.3) and concomitant developmental disability (aOR = 5.2, 95% CI: 2.1, 13.3) and lower for those living in a socially more disadvantaged neighborhood (aOR=0.48, 95% CI: 0.21, 0.98, per tertile). CONCLUSIONS: Among a sample of VLBW 2-year olds with developmental delays who are EI-eligible in WI, 4 out of 5 were currently receiving therapy, per parent report. Participation in Medicaid positively influences therapy utilization. Children with developmental difficulties who live in socially disadvantaged neighborhoods are at highest risk for not receiving therapy.

Early intervention program for infants and toddlers with disabilities. Final regulations.

The Secretary issues final regulations governing the Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities. These regulations are needed to reflect changes made to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, as amended by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (Act or IDEA).

Was cultural deprivation in fact sensory deprivation? Deprivation, retardation and intervention in the USA.

In the 1950s, the term "deprivation" entered American psychiatric discourse. This article examines how the concept of deprivation permeated the field of mental retardation, and became an accepted theory of etiology. It focuses on sensory deprivation and cultural deprivation, and analyzes the interventions developed, based on these theories. It argues that the controversial theory of cultural deprivation derived its scientific legitimization from the theory of sensory deprivation, and was a highly politicized concept that took part in the nature-nurture debate.