Nurturing Care for Children with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (NDDs): A Cross-sectional Study in a Rural Setting in Kenya

Most studies about young children in (Low and Middle-Income Countries) LMICs have generally excluded children with NDDs, and therefore, little is known about the importance of interventions such as nurturing care to support their growth and development (1). Moreover, children with NDDs are often neglected by the health systems and experience inequality in health, nutrition, and wellbeing outcomes (2). Nurturing care has been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a pathway for addressing developmental needs and unlocking the full potential of children, including those with NDDs (3). Nurturing care refers to a stable caregiving environment that provides good health, adequate nutrition, opportunities for early learning, responsive caregiving, and safety and security. All children need nurturing care to thrive; however, children with NDDs require more intensive nurturing care strategies to survive and thrive (4).