Parent and Therapist Perceptions of Early Therapy for Infants With or at Risk of Cerebral Palsy: A Scoping Review
Helle Sneftrup Poulsen1,2,3, Lisbeth Rosenbek Minet3,4,5, Lone Walentin Laulund1
1HCA Children's Hospital, Odense University Hospital, (OUH), Odense, Denmark.
Insights
Understanding parents' and therapists' experiences is key for effective early intervention for infants with cerebral palsy (CP). This review highlights the need for better coordination, therapist training, and support for parents in their role.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Disabilities
- Rehabilitation Therapy
Background:
- Early detection and intervention are crucial for infants with cerebral palsy (CP) or at risk.
- Family-centered early therapy requires understanding parent and therapist perspectives.
- Implementing evidence-based practices necessitates insights into these stakeholder experiences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a scoping review on parents' and therapists' experiences with early occupational and physical therapy for infants at risk of CP.
- To identify and summarize existing literature on this topic.
- To inform the implementation of family-centered early therapy interventions.
Main Methods:
- Scoping review conducted following JBI methodology.
- PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews checklist used for reporting.
- Qualitative content analysis applied to categorize experiences.
Main Results:
- 16 studies (2018-2024) included; 15 focused on parent experiences, 3 on therapist experiences.
- Five categories emerged: parental commitment, parent-therapist collaboration, parents as trainers, parental education, and therapists providing guidance.
- Key themes include the importance of professional coordination, therapist training, managing parental uncertainty, and balancing parental engagement.
Conclusions:
- Early therapy implementation requires professional coordination and therapist training.
- Supporting parents in their role as treatment providers is essential, balancing engagement with potential pressure.
- Further research is needed, particularly on therapists' perspectives, to address identified knowledge gaps.
Background:
Currently, the early detection of cerebral palsy (CP) or risk of CP is recommended to enable targeted and specific intervention. The provision of early therapy is a complex practice that places high demands on both parents and therapists. More knowledge about the perceptions of parents and therapists is needed to help the implementation of family-centred early therapy interventions that are based on recent evidence in clinical practice. This scoping review aims to identify the extent of literature and summarize the evidence exploring parents' and therapists' experiences of early occupational and physical therapy for infants with or at risk of CP.
Method:
The scoping review was conducted in accordance with the JBI methodology for scoping reviews and reported following the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews checklist. The experiences of parents and therapists were categorized using qualitative content analysis.
Results:
In total, 16 studies published between 2018 and 2024 were included. Parent-reported experiences were included in 15 studies and therapist-reported experiences in three. The content analysis resulted in five categories reflecting perceptions of valued and challenging aspects of early therapy. Four categories concerned parents' perceptions: parental commitment, parent-therapist collaboration, parents as training providers and parental education. One category concerned therapists' perceptions: providing guidance and educating parents.
Conclusion:
Insight into perceptions of early therapy highlights the importance of professional coordination of intervention, specific training of therapists, managing parents' feelings of uncertainty and balancing parents' engagement in their role as treatment providers and the pressure they may experience from the responsibility this role entails. This finding contributes important knowledge for the successful implementation of family-centred and evidence-based early therapy interventions in clinical practice for infants with or at risk of CP. A limited number of studies exploring therapists' perceptions were identified, which indicates a knowledge gap and a need for further research.
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