Perceived Parent Needs for Improving Parent Participation in School-Based Therapies for Children with Disabilities Using the Parent-Therapist Partnership Survey.

Rehabilitative and habilitative therapies can help children with disabilities increase independence and overall wellbeing. However, children and their caregivers face many barriers to accessing these therapies and often rely on the school for therapy access. Given the limited resources available within the special education system, increasing parent involvement in special education therapies could improve service delivery. However, providers must first understand what parents need to participate in therapies before attempting to engage families. 217 parents completed an online survey consisting of the Parent-Therapist Partnership Survey and demographic questionnaires about theirfamiliesand their child[ren] with disabilities. The percentage of needs parents endorsed as important and thepercentageofimportantneedsendorsedasunmetwere calculated. Differences across demographic variables were assessed. Overall, parents reported an average of 75% of needs as important with significantly more needs endorsed as important regarding being an informed, engaged member of the child's care team (M = 83%) than needs related to support and guidance (M = 65%, p < 0.001). Furthermore, parentsreportedan average of 58% of important needs as unmet, with no significant differences in subscale averages. Significant associations were found for race/ethnicity, education, income, partner availability, number of children with disabilities in the household, transportation access, neighborhood opportunities, parent efficacy and social, emotional, and behavioral concerns. Parents reported a high percentage of needs as important, but a large percentage of these important needs were considered unmet. Significant disparities based on racial/ethnic identities and access to resources were found. In order to successfully engage parents in special education therapy activities, providers must work to understand and address parents' engagement needs, paying special attention to each family's unique circumstances to optimize engagement.

Perceived parent needs in engaging with therapeutic supports for children with disabilities in school settings: An exploratory study.

BACKGROUND: Parent engagement in therapeutic services for children with disabilities could optimize service delivery while addressing service disparities. However, service providers must first understand parents' needs to effectively involve parents. AIMS: This study examines what needs parents identify as important when engaging with school-based therapies and how well these needs are being met. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Parents of children with Individualized Education Plans rated statements related to their needs for trust, information, support and guidance, and personal needs when engaging with their child's therapies. Parents also provided demographic information on them and their child[ren] with a disability. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Parents endorsed an average of 83 % of needs as important but 51 % of needs as unmet. On average, 65 % of needs related to feeling trusted by service providers were met. In contrast, needs related to receivings upport and guidance (M = 58 %), information (M = 55 %), and addressing parent's own needs (M = 53 %) were frequently unmet. Parents indicated that needs related to feeling trusted by service providers were most frequently met. In contrast, needs related to receiving information were most frequently unmet. Race/ethnicity and number of children with a disability influenced the number of needs endorsed as important and unmet. CONCLUSION: This feasibility study suggests that parents find a variety of needs regarding their interactions with school-based providers as important to them. However, given the high proportion of needs indicated being unmet, significant gaps likely exist in effectively engaging parents, especially for Parents of Color and parents with multiple children with disabilities. IMPLICATIONS: This study provides a list of tangible needs school-based providers can use to improve parent engagement with school-based therapies. School-based providers and administrators can use the needs identified as important and unmet in this study to create actionable steps that aim to improve parent engagement in school-based services.