This is a study of the psychological, socio-educational and biological predictors of the course of neurodevelopmental disorders in children to improve their quality of life and psychosocial functioning.
28/10/2020.- The EPINED-II project, led by the Nutrition and Mental Health (NUTRISAM) group of the Rovira i Virgili University (URV), won the URV Social Council Award for research impact in its 2020 call in the Social Sciences and Humanities EX ANTE modality.
The EPINED-II project, headed by Fina Canals, professor at Rovira i Virgili University and member of the PROEM Network, is a study of the psychological, socio-educational and biological predictors of the course of neurodevelopmental disorders in children to improve their quality of life and psychosocial functioning.
During the project, a representative sample of schoolchildren from the province of Tarragona – extensively evaluated by the team in a previous epidemiological study – in whom the clinical or subclinical presence of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was detected, will be followed up. Likewise, multidisciplinary factors will be studied as markers of early diagnosis and evolutionary course.
The project aims to improve multidisciplinary knowledge of the predictive factors of NDD, which affect the individual from the early stages of life, persist in development and lead to a decrease in the quality of life, as well as an emotional, social, educational, family and economic impact.
In addition, it will allow a better understanding of NDD, predict its course and guide an adequate detection and specific intervention that will reduce dysfunctionality, both in those cases of clinical and subclinical diagnosis, which are often not attended by mental health services.
The expected impact is mainly related to the improvement of the quality of life of the target groups of the project, namely children with ASD and ADHD and their environment.
