Parent-Professional Codevelopment of a Tool to Stimulate Children’s Development at Home: The TRIAGE Method

Children from families with low income are at an increased risk of developmental delays. While early interventions are effective in supporting the development of these children, families with low income often face barriers to accessing suitable interventions. The aim of this paper was to apply a participatory codevelopment process to produce a tool adapted for families with low income that informs parents about early child development and strengthens their capacity to create a stimulating learning environment at home. The objectives were to identify 1) the prioritized needs for parental information (tool content) and 2) the most appropriate format to reach our target population (tool format). Parents, pediatric healthcare professionals, community workers, managers and scientific advisers participated in a two-phase consensus-seeking process (Technique of Research of Information by Animation of a Group of Experts (TRIAGE)) to reach an agreement regarding the tool content and format. The participants unanimously decided to present information about red flags, referral sources, support resources and autonomy development strategies in an original, appealing, and accessible format of a life-size growth chart. The developed tool, named Roots to Bloom, can be used in primary healthcare and community settings to support interventions aimed at preventing developmental delays. This study reinforced the effectiveness of the TRIAGE method in enabling a group of stakeholders to reach a consensus.