Randomised controlled pilot feasibility trial of an early intervention programme for young infants with neurodevelopmental impairment in Uganda: a study protocol

What is it about?

Around the world each year, an estimated 30 million babies are born experiencing complications around the time of birth which can have a life-long impact on their health and development. Whilst in recent decades substantial progress has been made in reducing child deaths in developing countries, the global burden of developmental disabilities remains unchanged. Child developmental disability significantly impacts families in any context, but particularly in developing countries, where availability and access to support services are limited, financial barriers greater, and social stigma more overt.

Early intervention programmes to improve quality of life for children with developmental disability have been poorly studied, especially in developing countries. Our study aims to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of an early intervention programme, for young children with developmental disability in Uganda. The programme is called the ‘ABAaNA Early Intervention Programme’ ('abaana' means 'children' in the local language). The study will examine enablers and barriers to scale-up of the early intervention programme and provide early evidence of whether the programme can improve the quality of life of participating children and their families.

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