ABSTRACT
Background: Developmental disabilities occur in approximately 5-10% of the childhood population. The paucity of data regarding the burden and risk factors slows down the programs and policymaking actions for these highly prevalent conditions in developing countries.Methods: A retrospective review of records of 264 children below 12 years referred to CGC of a Tertiary Care Hospital from November 2016 to December 2018 was done. Data was analysed using SPSS software and is described in terms of frequency and mean.''''Results: 264 new cases that were referred to the CGC were enrolled. The mean age of referral was 2.54 yrs. ('1.00) with M: F ratio being 1.4:1. In religion, Hindu predominance (56.4%) was found.76.5% hailed from urban area. 39% of all cases showed Consanguinity.37% belonged to Class IV(Upper Lower) and 89% had chronic malnutrition. 46.2% of cases had NICU stay of which perinatal asphyxia(PA) was found in 40%.Majority of children (45.7%) had Global developmental delay (GDD)/Mental Retardation (MR), 37.7% had various forms of CP, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD) was seen in 13%, 3.4% had Autism, 4.5% had specific language disorder, Learning disability' was seen in 2.7% and only 2.7% had Isolated motor delay.Conclusions: Early Intervention services for children lag behind in developing countries and the proportion of children referred to CGC with severe disabling conditions is high. This study provides baseline data for further planning of services and interventions for these children in Maharashtra.