Changing Directions and Expanding Horizons: Moving towards More Inclusive Healthcare for Parents of Children with Developmental Disabilities

Monika Novak-Pavlic (), Peter Rosenbaum and Briano Di Rezze
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Monika Novak-Pavlic: School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 1C7, Canada
Peter Rosenbaum: CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 1C7, Canada
Briano Di Rezze: School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 1C7, Canada

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 21, 1-11

Abstract: Family-centred service (FCS) acknowledges the importance of family engagement in therapeutic processes and focuses on the needs of all family members. This way of thinking and practicing is becoming increasingly recognized as an optimal care delivery model for families of children with developmental disabilities (DDs). However, in most places, disability services are oftentimes ‘child-centric’, wherein family members are seen only as partners in therapy or care delivery, while their own needs are not addressed. This arises from the lack of awareness of complex and highly individual family needs by professionals with whom they interact, but also from a significant lack of service infrastructure oriented towards parent-specific needs in existing service delivery models. This concept paper highlights the known challenges associated with parenting a child with a DD and discusses the intersectionality of factors impacting parental health and well-being, with a goal of promoting more equitable, holistic, and inclusive healthcare for all family members of children with DDs.

Keywords: childhood disability; family well-being; family support; parenting; parents of children with disabilities; pediatric rehabilitation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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