Parenting young children with developmental disabilities: Experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S.

Megan Kunze; Douglas Gomez; Elizabeth Glenn; Bonnie Todis; Ilka Riddle; Christina M. Karns; Ann Glang; Laura Lee McIntyre

doi:10.37291/2717638X.202342264

Authors

Megan Kunze University of Oregon https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4449-2719
Douglas Gomez University of Oregon https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3437-1793
Elizabeth Glenn University of Oregon https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1901-1976
Bonnie Todis University of Oregon https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9306-9098
Ilka Riddle University of Cincinnati https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9681-2991
Christina M. Karns University of Oregon https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2488-6059
Ann Glang University of Oregon https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3057-1977
Laura Lee McIntyre University of Oregon https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0424-2624

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37291/2717638X.202342264

Keywords:

Parenting, Early intervention, Early childhood special education, Developmental delays disabilities, COVID-19, Qualitative methods

Abstract

High-stress events (e.g., natural disasters, political unrest, disease) significantly impact the lives of children and families. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is one event that has brought numerous hardships to families and children with developmental disabilities (DD), likely exacerbating already heightened levels of stress. For this study, we interviewed mothers living in the U.S. (N = 14) of 2- to 8-year-old children with DD about how COVID-19 has affected their family life. The interviews examined how the pandemic impacted (a) their child’s educational, therapeutic, and medical services, (b) their stress and resiliency, and (c) their parenting role as an advocate, educator, and interventionist. The results of our thematic analysis of the qualitative data highlight four domains with themes that describe families’ experiences as indicated by the mothers interviewed. Voices of families are essential in the delivery of effective and ethical early intervention for young children with disabilities. Based on the data from these interviews with mothers, suggestions for family-focused intervention to support families during high-stress events are discussed. As the long-term effects of the pandemic remain unknown, suggestions for future research to continue to examine the impact of high-stress experiences on young children with DD and their families are also presented.

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