‘Care in the prenatal period deserves more attention’

Detecting problems in the unborn child. That is the research field of Prof. Dr. Mireille Bekker. She works at the UMCU in Utrecht. A profession that is in full swing thanks to all technological developments. “Just take what we can see on ultrasound and MRI today and the development of new genetic tests. Huge progress has been made in this area over the past decade. This offers all kinds of possibilities for improving the guidance of pregnant women and the unborn child. For example, offer much more remote care. The development of a child, now and in the future, benefits enormously from this.” That reports Vakblad Early.

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Health gains are also possible if serious abnormalities can be seen during the 20 week ultrasound. “Signaling increases the possibilities for the best possible support during pregnancy and after birth.” In addition, if there are serious concerns about the viability of their unborn child, parents have more time to think about whether or not to continue with the pregnancy.” Bekker calls her research area a field in development. “Really very interesting. For me, it is paramount that I give every child the best possible outcome. And with that, of course, the parents as well.”

autism

In addition to the interview with Mireille Bekker, Iris Servatius-Oosterling, winner of the VROEG prize 2022, will speak. She was one of the founders of the National Expertise Network Autism Young Child. In the interview she explains why early help with a suspected autism makes a world of difference. “We now know which signals carry an increased risk of autism at a young age. It is not for nothing that these alarm signals have now been included in the guidelines for autism spectrum disorders. For example, consider a child who doesn’t respond to his name, doesn’t gesture, doesn’t say words at 18 months, doesn’t smile directly at anyone else, isn’t interested in other people—that sort of thing.” Iris urges professionals to be wary of such alarm signals. “Timely recognition is the precondition for deploying the right help at an early stage.”

By: National Care Guide

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