The role of child psychology in the early detection of developmental difficulties: an educational worldview

Abstract

Introduction: Child psychology was considered key to early identification of difficulties in comprehensive development. Its theoretical and practical contributions provided education with elements to anticipate cognitive, emotional, and social risks.
Method:  A bibliometric study was conducted based on 84 indexed sources retrieved from the Scopus Elsevier database. The analysis applied co-occurrence networks, thematic matrices, and a qualitative hermeneutic thematic approach. An iterative process was followed to generate categories and themes, combining deductive and inductive strategies. Inter-coder reliability was ensured using Cohen’s κ and Krippendorff’s α.
Results: The findings revealed that child psychology is strengthening its position as a fundamental discipline in recent literature. Co-occurrence networks showed connections between child development, mental health, and education. The studies examined emphasised the importance of sociocultural theory, attachment theory, and risk factors associated with anxiety, depression, and family contexts. It was noted that early detection should be managed as an interdisciplinary and longitudinal process.
Conclusions: The confirmed analysis showed that child psychology has good resources for education. These serve to recognise early signs and avoid learning problems. It was concluded that knowing this in teacher training is important, as it helps to prevent problems and teach better. Furthermore, more Latin American work on the subject is needed for a broader debate.