Table 3.

Priority research areas

	Illustrative research questions
Goal A Advance identification, screening and early intervention	How can health systems improve in early detection (during infancy and early childhood) of developmental disabilities in low and middle income countries? What is the availability, cost and efficacy of early intervention and rehabilitation programs for children with developmental disabilities in low and low-middle income countries? What is the effectiveness and efficiency of family-mediated early intervention on the future health and well-being of children with developmental disabilities in low resource settings? How can we best operationally define and identify (screen for) people with developmental disabilities? What are the most important priorities for investigation/assessment for children with developmental disabilities in low resource rural settings?
Goal B Improve awareness, prevention, and promotive interventions	What are the most effective ways of promoting the rights to health and education of children with developmental disabilities in low and low-middle income countries? What is the impact of global initiatives in disability (e.g. UNCRPD) on policies, laws and services for people with developmental disabilities? How do public attitudes to developmental disabilities and the care of people with developmental disabilities vary across cultural and language groups and across types of developmental disabilities? What are the common experiences and attitudes of primary healthcare workers towards people with developmental disabilities? What are the nature and forms of stigmatization in different cultures and contexts (low, middle, high income countries; rural/urban)?
Goal C Identify causes, prevalence, biomarkers, and risk and protective factors	What are the most common preventable causes of poor health among people with developmental disabilities? What are the most important nutritional needs of children with developmental disabilities in low resource rural settings? What are the most common preventable causes of developmental disabilities (e.g., neurotoxins, undernutrition, infections, poverty, poor education)? How do these vary across regions and countries (and within countries)? What are the most common preventable causes of the social exclusion and reduced quality of life among people with developmental disabilities? How do these vary across regions and countries (and within countries)?
Goal D Transform health system to improve access and build human resource capacity	How best can non-specialists be trained and supervised to work with people with developmental disabilities? What are the important preventive health measures and barriers to health care for people with ID and how successfully are these implemented? What are the most efficient ways of training health care workers to reduce the discrimination faced by people with developmental disabilities in health care systems? How can assistive devices (computer software, hand-held devices, touch screen computers) support people with developmental disabilities to learn and communicate? What can be learned from a systematic study of public health systems and health care policy across countries with regard to what has worked and what hasn’t with respect to prevention and intervention for developmental disabilities?
Goal E Improve support to parents and families	What are the most efficient ways of supporting and empowering parents/families of people with developmental disabilities (in specific social and cultural contexts)? How can parents/families be most efficiently supported to provide a ‘healthy start’ in life for young children with or at high risk of developmental disabilities in low resource settings? What are the most efficient interventions to support parents/families of children with disabilities to manage their own stress? How does “family context” interact with the behavioural challenges posed by children with developmental disabilities to produce either positive or negative impact on parents’ mental health and well-being? How do the dynamic mechanisms in early and ongoing family processes that affect child and parent outcome vary across culture and ethnic identity?