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'Of course you crash' Parenting a young child with neurodevelopmental difficulties
1Child Health and Parenting (CHAP), Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Sweden.
Insights
Parents of children with suspected neurodevelopmental disorders face significant challenges similar to diagnosed cases, yet lack accessible support. This highlights a critical need for professional and informal support systems for these families.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Family Studies
Background:
- Parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) experience high stress and low well-being.
- Limited research exists on the well-being of parents with children exhibiting NDD symptoms pre-diagnosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To understand the support needs of families with young children experiencing neurodevelopmental difficulties.
- To explore parental perspectives on their children, life circumstances, and emotional experiences.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative semi-structured interviews with ten parents of children aged 2.5-5 years.
- Participants' children were referred for suspected neurodevelopmental difficulties.
- Analysis using qualitative content analysis.
Main Results:
- Parents reported significant challenges comparable to those with diagnosed NDDs.
- Key themes included the difficulty of parenting and strategies for management.
- A significant difference was the lack of accessible support for parents of undiagnosed children.
Conclusions:
- Parents of children with suspected NDDs face similar challenges to those with diagnosed NDDs.
- There is a critical unmet need for accessible, multi-disciplinary professional support.
- Increased informal support and connection with other parents are vital for well-being.
Background:
Parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders often experience heightened levels of parenting stress and diminished well-being. However, less is known about the well-being of parents whose children exhibit symptoms of neurodevelopmental disorders without yet having a formal diagnosis.
Aim:
This study aims to deepen our understanding of the need for support among families with young children with neurodevelopmental difficulties. Specifically, it explores parents' perspectives concerning their children, life circumstances, and emotional experiences in parenting.
Methods And Procedures:
Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten parents of children aged 2.5-5 years, referred to a child psychologist due to reported neurodevelopmental difficulties. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using qualitative content analysis.
Outcomes And Results:
Two themes, each containing four and three categories, respectively, emerged in the analysis: Parenting our child with neurodevelopmental difficulties is tough in so many ways and Prevent, manage and make up like a Pro.
Conclusion And Implications:
The parents express very similar challenges, difficulties and problems as parents of children with diagnosed neurodevelopmental disorders. The main difference lies in the lack of accessible support or help for these parents.
What This Paper Adds:
This study provides insights into how parents of children with suspected neurodevelopmental difficulties perceive their child and their overall life circumstances. The narratives show the challenges these parents face due to their children's multifaceted difficulties, leading to a need for multi-disciplinary support from professionals. The narratives also illustrate the strong emotions that arise in parenting, which in itself indicates a need for support. The study also provides further support for the importance of parents connecting with others facing similar life circumstances. The families often feel isolated despite the need for increased informal support in terms of more adults being involved with the children.
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