Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal and Research (CEDAR), University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK.
Tizard Centre, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NZ, UK.
J Autism Dev Disord. 2024 Apr;54(4):1628-1641. doi: 10.1007/s10803-023-05996-7. Epub 2023 May 4.
This study examined predictors of access to early support amongst families of 0-6-year-old children with suspected or diagnosed developmental disabilities in the United Kingdom. Using survey data from 673 families, multiple regression models were fitted for three outcomes: intervention access, access to early support sources, and unmet need for early support sources. Developmental disability diagnosis and caregiver educational level were associated with intervention access and early support access. Early support access was also associated with child physical health, adaptive skills, caregiver ethnicity, informal support, and statutory statement of special educational needs. Unmet need for early support was associated with economic deprivation, the number of household caregivers, and informal support. Multiple factors influence access to early support. Key implications include enhancing processes for formal identification of need, addressing socioeconomic disparities (e.g., reducing inequalities, increasing funding for services), and providing more accessible services (e.g., coordinating support across services, flexible service provision).
本研究考察了英国 0-6 岁疑似或确诊发育障碍儿童家庭获得早期支持的预测因素。研究使用了来自 673 个家庭的调查数据,为三个结果(干预的获得、早期支持来源的获得以及早期支持来源的未满足需求)拟合了多元回归模型。发育障碍诊断和照顾者的教育水平与干预的获得和早期支持的获得有关。早期支持的获得还与儿童的身体健康、适应技能、照顾者的种族、非正式支持以及特殊教育需求的法定声明有关。早期支持的未满足需求与经济贫困、家庭照顾者的数量以及非正式支持有关。多种因素影响早期支持的获得。主要的影响包括增强正式识别需求的流程,解决社会经济差异(例如,减少不平等,增加服务资金),以及提供更便于获取的服务(例如,协调服务之间的支持,灵活的服务提供)。