Awareness of children's developmental problems and sharing of concerns with parents by preschool teachers and childcare workers: The Japanese context

BackgroundThis study aims to determine the extent to which preschool teachers and childcare workers are aware of the presence of developmental problems among children and to what extent they share information with parents about their concerns regarding a child's development or diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). MethodsWe wrote to all 924 preschools and childcare centres in Japan's Nagano and Yamanashi prefectures to request participants. We then sent survey forms to the preschools and childcare centres that agreed to cooperate for three grades comprising 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds in the school year 2020. We asked the staff member in charge of each child to complete the survey. The survey included questions about the teacher's concerns regarding the possibility of an NDD and whether the matter had been shared with the children's parents. ResultsWe obtained data for 10 354 children from 206 preschools and childcare centres (response rate = 22.3%). Among these children, 457 (4.4%) had an NDD diagnosis that their parents shared with the teachers. However, the teachers of 1274 children (12.3%) had concerns regarding their development but were not informed by the parents about the diagnosis, if any. These 1274 children included 775 (60.8%) cases where the teachers failed to share their concerns with parents because (1) the teachers could not communicate with parents (n = 119), (2) the teachers were not sure if there was a neurodevelopmental problem (n = 360) and (3) the parents were not aware of the problem (n = 296). ConclusionsPreschool teachers and childcare workers had concerns about the development of a substantial proportion of children in their charge. However, teachers and childcare workers did not share their concerns regarding many children's developmental problems with their parents. The findings suggest that there are challenges in information-sharing between teachers/childcare workers and parents.

Automated summary

This study investigates the awareness of developmental problems among preschool teachers and childcare workers, as well as their communication with parents regarding concerns about a child's development or diagnosis of NDDs. Data from 10,354 children in 206 preschools and childcare centers were collected, showing that a considerable number of children had concerns about their development but the teachers did not share this information with their parents. The findings highlight challenges in information-sharing between teachers/childcare workers and parents.