March 2023 – This article published in Pediatrics and authored on behalf of the Global Research on Developmental Disabilities Collaborators examines the practicality of an inclusive ECD strategy for all children and offers some suggestions on the way forward on the basis of the available evidence on the special health and educational needs of children with developmental disabilities in low and middle-income countries (LMICs).
The principle and concept of inclusive education predominantly requires a dedicated focus on children with developmental disabilities. The need for such a disability-focused ECD program has been reinforced by the emerging evidence on the high prevalence of developmental disabilities in children and adolescents in LMICs.