Early akshara knowledge in beginner readers in Sinhala: a cross-sectional study.

A descriptive cross-sectional study was undertaken with Sinhala speaking students from grades 1 and 2 in the Gampaha District of Sri Lanka to determine how akshara graphical features influence emerging reading skills. A battery of locally validated assessments evaluated akshara knowledge (recognition and production), word reading (accurate and fluent), accurate sentence reading and visual perceptual skills. The study examined the graphic complexity of akshara by examining the number of disconnected components (DC), connected points (CP) and simple features (SF).

A short report on a preliminary interventional study to evaluate play-mediated interaction skills in caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder from Sri Lanka.

Most children with autism spectrum disorder live in low- and middle-income countries. Most of them do not have access to timely and culturally acceptable interventions. Research from high-income countries and low- and middle-income countries, such as Sri Lanka, show that parent-mediated intervention programmes improve functional outcomes, highlighting the importance of parents as partners.

Availability of rehabilitation services for communication disorders in Sri Lanka: a cross-sectional survey.

Objectives: To describe the rehabilitation services available for communication disorders in Sri Lanka and to estimate the adequacy of the services in provinces and districts of the country.

Setting: The study considered government and private institutions, which provide rehabilitation services for communication disorders in Sri Lanka.

Participants: Institutions providing services of speech-language pathologists, audiologists and audiology technicians in Sri Lanka.

Stakeholders' perspectives on the provision of vocational training for youth with disabilities in Sri Lanka: protocol for a mixed-methods study.

Introduction: The quality and the range of vocational training (VT) courses offered to youth with disabilities (YwD) in low-middle-income countries are underexplored. This protocol describes a study designed to gather perceptions of a range of stakeholders related to the quality and relevance of VT programmes conducted by the Department of Social Services in Sri Lanka. The purpose of this study is to communicate with authorities the ways in which they can improve their services by paying close attention to the needs and recommendations of all stakeholders.

Early Interventions for Infants at Risk for Developmental Impairment: The South Asian Perspective.

Majority of under-five children with developmental disabilities live in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). A considerable proportion of disabilities results from perinatal adversities. The neonatal and infant mortality rates in India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka have improved over the last two decades, implying survival of infants at risk for developmental impairments.

Parental and professional perceptions of informed consent and participation in a time-critical neonatal trial: a mixed-methods study in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Introduction: Time-critical neonatal trials in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) raise several ethical issues. Using a qualitative-dominant mixed-methods design, we explored informed consent process in Hypothermia for encephalopathy in low and middle-income countries (HELIX) trial conducted in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Methods: Term infants with neonatal encephalopathy, aged less than 6 hours, were randomly allocated to cooling therapy or usual care, following informed parental consent.

Effect of intramuscular ACTH versus oral prednisolone on the developmental trajectories of children with West syndrome over 24 months: A randomised control study.

Objective: To assess the developmental progression and compare the developmental attainments of children treated with two hormonal therapies for infantile spasms (IS) over two years (seizure and EEG outcomes of this RCT published previously).

Methods: Newly diagnosed infants with IS were randomised to receive adrenocorticotrophin (ACTH) or prednisolone for 14 days. All underwent Bayley III Infant and Toddler Assessments in cognitive (Cog), receptive (RC) and expressive (EC) communication, fine (FM) and gross (GM) motor developmental subsets at baseline (T0), one-year (T1) and two-years (T2).

Protocol for the Sri Lankan Cerebral Palsy Register pilot study.

Introduction: Cerebral palsy (CP) describes a heterogeneous group of motor disorders resulting from disturbance in the developing brain. CP occurs in approximately 2.1 per 1000 live births in high-income countries, but in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) the prevalence and severity of CP may be greater and aetiological risk factors different.

Developmental profile at initial presentation in children with infantile spasms.

Aim: To describe the baseline developmental profile and influence of clinical and demographic factors on the developmental skills of infants diagnosed with infantile spasms.

Method: Ninety-five infants (55 males, 40 females) newly diagnosed with infantile spasms were recruited for a cross-sectional, longitudinal study. All infants underwent Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development assessments in the cognitive, receptive communication, expressive communication, and fine and gross motor developmental domains; they also underwent visual, auditory, and social behaviour assessments.

Clinical examination in paediatrics at final MBBS: views of children and their parents.

Introduction: The final examination in paediatrics for medical undergraduates in Sri Lanka consists of a written and a clinical component. Each candidate at the clinical component sees one long case and two short cases.

Objectives: To assess the views of the bystanders regarding their sick children participating at a clinical examination, and to evaluate the children's perceptions of the clinical component.