Exploring Caregivers' Perspectives on Participation in a Therapy-Based Dance Program for Children with Disabilities:...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric therapy
• Dance therapy
• Health services research

Background:

• Pediatric therapy programs often face challenges in participant engagement.
• Understanding caregiver perspectives is crucial for program success and accessibility.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted healthcare service prioritization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore caregiver facilitators and barriers to a pediatric therapy-based dance program.
• To assess caregiver views on a group-based therapy dance program for occupational and physical therapy goals.
• To understand the pandemic's effect on therapy service participation priorities.

Main Methods:

• Semi-structured virtual interviews with eight caregivers of children with disabilities.
• Interviews utilized open-ended questions to gather in-depth perspectives.
• Conventional content analysis was applied to transcribed interview data.

Main Results:

• Four key factor categories emerged: child-specific, family-related, program-specific, and systemic healthcare.
• Child factors influence participation; family factors affect feasibility.
• Program factors must meet individual needs; systemic factors impact accessibility.

Conclusions:

• Child, family, program, and healthcare system factors are vital for redesigning pediatric dance therapy.
• Recommendations include minimizing costs, ensuring small group ratios, and enhancing therapist-caregiver collaboration.
• These findings can guide the redesign of the proposed program and similar pediatric therapy initiatives.