The NBrain project: a clinical mediation service for children at risk of neurodevelopmental disorders and their families

Abstract

Six out of ten children born prematurely can develop neurological difficulties affecting their behaviour and cognitive abilities. The public health system in Spain only cares for 40% of the cases, which are usually the ones with severe disability. The remaining 60% of cases are overlooked due either to having mild symptoms or pressure on the service. Here NBrain, a clinical R+D-based institution specialized in child neurodevelopment and advanced therapies is presented with the aim of filling this attentional gap for these children and their families. NBrain considers the family to be the key structure in promoting children’s neurodevelopment and wellbeing and for this reason it will be the first specialized clinical institution to include a mediation department integrated in the clinic. The mediation service will aid families to channel conflicts, fostering foster healthy parent-child attachments and co-parenting dynamics that will promote emotional and family stability. This in turn will increase the efficacy of the neurological therapeutical treatments offered to the children and, in the long-term, promoting healthier interactions between family members. This thesis describes the creation and the main premises underlying the functioning of this proposed mediation service.