Visual impairment affects an estimated 19 million children under 15 globally, with 12 million of them having vision issues that could be diagnosed and corrected, leaving 7 million children under 15 with significant visual impairments (WHO, 2021). The impact of receiving a visual impairment diagnosis can affect many aspects of a caregiver's life…

Childhood permanent, uncorrectable vision impairment (VI) is rare, yet it is a public health burden as the impairment lasts a lifetime. Vision impairment describes decreased vision that affects everyday activities. Acuity cut-points commonly used include 20/40, 20/60 or 20/70. Blindness often refers to legal blindness (best corrected visual acuity…

The problem addressed in the research was that many individuals were not diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) until they were adults. The purpose of the study was to examine the experiences and beliefs of participants regarding the management of ADHD and the impact that experiences may or may not have regarding the…

Parents of children with ASD need access to a variety of services, resources, and parental knowledge to best meet the needs of their children. The lack of access to supportive services and resources in rural communities creates challenges for parents of children with ASD. The challenges of rural America can cause stress, impact familial…

Children with autism are frequently offered behavioral intervention services to treat the myriad of symptoms associated with this diagnosis. These services are often paid for by third parties such as governments or insurance companies. As it is in the best interest of those funding the services to keep the costs low, policy-makers often cite the…

Purpose: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder that increases the risk for recurrent painful episodes. Parents' knowledge regarding SCD management is poor, leading to poor symptom management and lower Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) in children with SCD. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a parent…

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is expressed quite differently from person to person due to the spectrum of symptoms an individual may experience. Developmentally, children who have ASD manage issues with communication and restricted or repetitive behaviors that impact their activities of daily living and/or…

As the prevalence of children diagnosed with autism continues to rise, the need for high quality parent coaching practices to ensure generalization of skills targeting in early intervention services is pronounced. This mixed methods study investigated the results of implementation of a parent coaching treatment package developed in alignment with…

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of typically developing siblings of individuals with autism spectrum disorders regarding their own quality of life. The researcher also sought to discover if there were specific characteristics that affected the typically developing siblings' descriptions of their lives. In order to achieve…

With the rapid increase in the rate of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), there has been a surge in treatment interventions and outcome measures. Treatment interventions consist of evidence-based practices and programs that lack scientific validation. Parents' selection of a treatment or multiple treatments is often based on…

Self-determination is the freedom to make choices that impact an individual's life. Many people would agree that self-determination leads to an enhanced quality of life, and choice making is considered a central element in self-determination. Most learn choice making through a gradual release of responsibility by caregivers throughout their…

Family outcomes are important to the provision of services because families are increasingly considered as the primarily support unit for children with developmental disabilities. With emphasis on positivity and multidimensionality of the life of families who have children with disabilities, this study aimed to expand the applicability of the…

Research indicates that families of children with disabilities are at risk for a lower quality of life than families of typically developing children, as the impact that a child with a disability has on a family's quality of life (FQOL) is both substantial and complex (Zuna, Selig, Summers, & Turnbull, 2009b; Zuna, Summers, Turnbull, Hu &…

The objective of this study was to examine quality of life of children with profound disabilities from the perspective of special education staff. Due to the nature of profound level cognitive disabilities, children with these issues are unable to respond to traditional paper and pencil quality of life assessments. Therefore, the perspectives of…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among the quality of life of families that have at least one child with autism spectrum disorder, parental stress level, and partnerships between the family and professionals. Also, parent perceptions of parental stress, family quality of life, and family-professional partnerships were…