Family members of children with disabilities have become more involved in their children's care and have adopted the role of primary caregiver. Due to the varying degrees of the condition, children with cerebral palsy (CP) often require greater involvement from their caregivers. Fifteen caregivers for children with CP residing in rural communities…

Purpose: Increasing demand for autism services is straining service systems. Tailoring services to best meet families' needs could improve their quality of life and decrease burden on the system. We explored overall, best, and worst met service needs, and predictors of those needs, for families of children with autism spectrum disorders. Methods:…

Background: This study explored the experiences of working mothers with an adult child with intellectual disabilities to understand how they reconcile paid work and care responsibilities. Methods: Fifteen working mothers in Taiwan with an adult child with intellectual disabilities were interviewed, and an interpretative phenomenological approach…

This study explored the relationship between four types of autonomy (health autonomy, informational autonomy, living autonomy, and financial autonomy) and the acceptance of five types of long-term care (adult day care, respite care, assisted living, unit care, and group home) for the elderly in Taiwan. Data were collected from 167 middle-aged and…

Background: This study examined whether service utilisation among children with intellectual disability (ID) varied by ethnic cultural group. Method: Survey carried out in four special schools in London. Information was provided by school teachers using case files, and 242 children aged 7 to 17 years with mild and moderate ID were identified.…

Many families provide lifelong support to their relative with an intellectual disability. However, relatively little information is available for national populations on the characteristics of the people for whom these families care and the supports they receive or need. A database of all persons in receipt of intellectual disability services has…

A survey of 20 health districts in England identified specialist services for individuals with intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviors. Great diversity was found in such services as specialized teams, staffed housing, assessment and short-term admission, and respite care facilities. Entitlement to appropriate treatment was more…

Two out of three Canadian women will care for a chronically ill or disabled family member. Caregiving is a valuable task that can simultaneously have great emotional rewards and significant physical, emotional, and financial costs. The time spent out of the paid labor force because of caregiving responsibilities averages 11.5 years for women…

We examined the service needs of foster families with children who have disabilities. Foster parents in a large Canadian city were asked "What services or supports would be helpful to you?" The responses to this question were edited for clarity and to eliminate redundancies, and sorted into piles of like statements by a group of 15…

This longitudinal study inventoried the types of services accessed by a sample of Alberta families of children with or at-risk for disabilities. We explored the role of severity of disability, parental stress, and family income on services accessed. With few exceptions, services were accessed more frequently as the children's lives progressed but…