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Kate Sees Early Baby Withdrawal Tool
11 Nov
Summary
- Princess of Wales visited a clinic in Bordon, Hampshire.
- The clinic uses an observational tool called ADBB for babies.
- The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood backs the project.
The Princess of Wales recently visited a clinic in Bordon, Hampshire, to learn about an innovative approach to identifying early social withdrawal in babies and toddlers. At Chase Community Hospital, Catherine met with health visitors utilizing the Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBB), an observational tool designed to understand infants' social behavior.
The ADBB focuses on elements like eye contact, facial expressions, and activity levels to flag potential needs for additional support. This pilot project in Hampshire receives backing from the Princess's own charitable arm, the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood. Catherine had previously encountered this method during a visit to Denmark in February 2022.
Following her visit, Catherine encouraged the Royal Foundation to explore introducing the approach in the UK, collaborating with the Institute of Health Visiting. The ADBB model is also capable of recognizing early indicators of psychological distress in children under two, facilitating timely access to specialized care. Two pilot phases have concluded across ten NHS sites, with further expansion planned.
