The effectiveness of early detection and intervention programme for 4-6 years old preschoolers with developmental delays in Malaysia

Early detection and intervention for developmental delays in preschool children are crucial for fostering school readiness skills. In response to this need, the Ministry of Education (MOE), through its Special Education Division, initiated the Early Detection and Intervention Programme for Preschool Children, also known as Program Pengesanan Perkembangan dan Intervensi Murid Prasekolah (ProsPIM) in 2024 to address this need systematically. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of ProsPIM in detecting and providing interventions for preschool children with developmental delays across Malaysia, focusing on motor skills, language development, personal-social skills, and cognitive development. A comprehensive developmental screening was conducted using the Senarai Semak Pengesanan Perkembangan (SSP) or Developmental Detection Checklist for children aged 4-6 years. Teachers underwent systematic training, with 9,411 preschool teachers (96.75% of the target population) trained through 96 nationwide workshops. Structured interventions were implemented using the Preschool Student Development Intervention Kit over 3-6 months. Out of 215,920 preschool children screened, 4,134 (1.91%) were identified with developmental delays. The age distribution of affected children was 4 years (3.7%), 5 years (38.8%), and 6 years (57.8%), with a gender distribution of 68% males and 32% females. Post-intervention assessments showed that 2,115 children (51%) achieved age-appropriate developmental milestones after 3-6 months of structured intervention targeting developmental delays. ProsPIM demonstrates significant effectiveness in early detection and intervention for developmental delays among preschool children. The 51% success rate in achieving age-appropriate development suggests that structured early intervention programmes can significantly improve developmental outcomes. These findings support the continued implementation and expansion of systematic early detection and intervention programmes in preschool settings.