Lithuania is developing an integrated maternal and child healthcare system that will enable earlier identification of child developmental differences and ensure timely support for families. These improvements are being implemented through the project “Improvement of Obstetrics and Children Health Care Services and Implementation of Holistic Child Development Services”, funded under the Lithuanian–Swiss Cooperation Programme.
The project aims not merely to implement individual activities, but to strengthen the maternal and child healthcare system in a comprehensive and sustainable way. Between 2025 and 2029, methodological documents will be developed to define the principles of diagnosing developmental disorders and delivering interventions, as well as the organisation and scope of services and the roles of specialists across different levels of healthcare. This will establish the foundation for a consistent, evidence-based maternal and child healthcare system throughout Lithuania.
To support these systemic changes, the project includes the adaptation and validation of key diagnostic tools that are currently unavailable in Lithuania, the introduction of evidence-based interventions, specialist training, and the provision of essential medical equipment to healthcare institutions. Once these activities are completed, healthcare providers will be able to deliver services based on nationally approved methodological guidance.
One of the project’s key priorities is the adaptation of internationally recognised child development assessment tools to the Lithuanian context. This will enable professionals to use scientifically validated assessment instruments adapted to Lithuania’s linguistic and cultural environment, improving the accuracy of child development assessments and supporting timely decisions on the assistance children and their families require.
“For parents, receiving clear answers about their child’s development as early as possible is extremely important. The more accurate the assessment tools we have, the greater the opportunity to identify a child’s needs at an early stage and provide timely support for both the child and their family,” says Assoc. Prof. Dr Indrė Bakanienė of the Hospital of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kauno Klinikos.
A significant milestone has already been reached within the project. Vytautas Magnus University has obtained permission from the copyright holders of the MacArthur–Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDI) to adapt and validate the methodology for use in Lithuania. The University independently secured the licence and met all competence and preparedness requirements established by the licence holders. The university’s research team has extensive scientific and methodological expertise in this field, supported by a database of approximately 18,000 children’s language samples, providing a strong foundation for the adaptation process. Specialist training will also be organised once the adaptation has been completed.
At the same time, preparatory work is underway for the introduction of several other internationally recognised diagnostic tools. Service providers have been selected to adapt and validate the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (Bayley) and Leiter assessment tools. Final contractual arrangements with the licence holders are currently being completed.
“Sometimes the most significant changes begin with work that is not immediately visible to the public. However, it is precisely this work that lays the foundation for higher-quality services for children and their families in the future,” says Edita Česnulienė, Senior Project Manager at the Central Project Management Agency (CPVA).
Once the project has been completed, families can expect more consistent maternal and child healthcare services delivered according to unified methodological standards and supported by modern child development assessment tools.
The project is being implemented under the Lithuanian–Swiss Cooperation Programme “Maternal and Child Health and Wellbeing.”
