Parents' and professionals' perspectives on school-based maltreatment prevention education for children with...

Youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are at a significantly increased risk of experiencing maltreatment and abuse. Child maltreatment prevention education programs are effective at improving safety of children and youth, generally.

The goal of this study was to understand challenges, benefits, and important considerations of developing an IDD-tailored prevention program.

In total, we recruited 21 professionals and parents who have experience with a child with IDD from New York, Indiana, and Florida.

Participants were segmented into three focus groups, which were conducted through web-based videoconferencing. Focus groups were moderated by experts in child maltreatment prevention and recorded for data collection. Recordings were transcribed and subsequently coded using a qualitative content analysis approach.

The analysis identified several challenges to implementing child maltreatment prevention to students with IDD and pedagogical strategies to overcome those, such as the use of visuals, standardized vocabulary, and relatable examples. Benefits of a prevention program were also mentioned, including feelings of empowerment that can be cultivated by providing opportunities where children with IDD practice being assertive. Considerations for program developers and staff were discussed to ensure that prevention programs are easily adaptable to suit the needs of students with IDD across the continuum.

Previous research has indicated an unmet need for child maltreatment programs among children with IDD. Implementation of an IDD-tailored program must be preceded by gaining invaluable insight from professionals and parents. Findings provide insight into implementation challenges and methods to inform prevention programs.