Predictors of Access to Early Support in Families of Children with Suspected or Diagnosed Developmental Disabilities in the United Kingdom

Abstract

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).

Access and barriers to supports for children and caregivers attending public child developmental assessment services: Findings from the Sydney child neurodevelopment research registry

“…There has been limited research evaluating access to, and barriers associated with, early intervention supports while families wait for a developmental assessment (Sapiets et al, 2021;Sapiets et al, 2023). This means that there is little awareness about the types of supports that families might already be able to access without a diagnosis, as well as knowledge about the types of services and barriers families may face when accessing different supports during this time.…”

“…Given existing guidelines and recommendations for early intervention (Association, 2022;Trembath et al, 2022), it is crucial to understand what supports caregivers can access while they wait for their developmental assessment. In addition, while some recent studies have begun to identify associations between sociodemographic factors (e.g., caregiver education level, socioeconomic status, cultural background) and access to intervention in children with suspected or diagnosed neurodevelopmental conditions using anonymous surveys (Sapiets et al, 2021;Sapiets et al, 2023), we still know little about how these factors may impact intervention access, as well as perceived difficulties in accessing different types of interventions, while families are waiting for an initial developmental assessment in clinical services.…”