“….. A key achievement attributed to UNICEF during the 2018-2013 programme cycle has been the institutionalization of Rapid Neurodevelopmental Assessment (RNDA) tool used in the Two-Stage Disability Study of 2010-2011. Through close collaboration between the Education and Health sectors, the RNDA tool is now used regularly for training health workers, physiotherapists, ECCD facilitators and teachers in early identification and referral of children with disabilities…..”

“About the Rapid Neurodevelopmental Assessment…..What I can say from my observations is that our Haitians counterparts were very excited to finally have a tool that was easy to learn, easy to administer and that in many ways compared well with other standardized testings that are definitely too costly and not necessarily culturally and linguistically appropriate. In our study we found good concurrent validity for children with moderate/severe neurodevelopment when compared to the Mullen ( t-test, p=0.012).”

We used the RNDA in our pilot study in rural Guatemala. We trained traditional birth attendants to use the instrument among Mam-speaking Mayan indigenous communities. We translated and validated the instrument against the BSID III in one study. We then applied the RNDA in second small pilot of a longitudinal cohort of children from birth to 12 months of age. The instrument was easy to use and children interacted well with the evaluator. Mothers didn’t find it to be burdensome. We found the RNDA to be culturally appropriate in this rural Guatemalan setting.

As a pediatrician I found it very useful and easy to administer in our clinical practice. We used this tool in our high-risk infant and child development follow-up clinic at the pediatric physiotherapy department from 2013 onwards. It is also used as one of the assessment tool for early detection of disabilities in hospitals and special need schools. Many schoolteachers and health staffs have been trained to use this tool, which has been instrumental in early detection and intervention.

"Thank you for introducing us to the RNDA. Our team in remote parts of Australia are using it with children from birth to adolescence, helping to get more children on a pathway to better developmental outcomes! The online teachers are excellent and their feedback and support have been instrumental in helping our team learn to use this tool. We wholeheartedly recommend the tool for anyone interested in gaining experience in developmental assessments."