Dataset Information

Use of family disability service by families with young children with disabilities.

ABSTRACT:

Aim

To investigate which families with young children with disabilities used disability services and when they used services to inform policy on service delivery.

Method

We used linked administrative data from different ministries in Alberta to describe families' use of disability services when their children were between the ages of 3 and 8 years old. Disability was investigated on the basis of the presence of a severe special education code for children, and level of special education code. The outcome was the use of family disability services.

Results

Of 31 346 children, 24 761 (79.0%) had no special education code, 3982 (12.7%) had a mild special education code, and 2603 (8.3%) had a severe special education code. Level of special education code was associated with child characteristics and service use. Children with severe special education codes generally were more likely to report service use and have poor outcomes than those with less severe codes. Of note, 26% of children with severe special education codes used family disability services. In addition, among children with severe special education codes, many years of severe coding (compared with fewer years) had the strongest association with family disability service use (prevalence ratio 5.50; 95% confidence interval 4.10-7.37). Associations with family disability service use were seen with mental health, health care, and educational achievement. Interactions between child characteristics and service use were observed.

Interpretation

This study provides evidence that families were more likely to use disability services when they were involved with other services, and that use interacts with various factors. The findings highlight the importance of considering service eligibility, referral, and integration.

SUBMITTER: Russell MJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7754115 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Use of family disability service by families with young children with disabilities.

Russell Matthew J MJ Zhang Yunqi Y Cui Xinjie X Tough Suzanne S Zwicker Jennifer D JD

Developmental medicine and child neurology 20200131 1

<h4>Aim</h4>To investigate which families with young children with disabilities used disability services and when they used services to inform policy on service delivery.<h4>Method</h4>We used linked administrative data from different ministries in Alberta to describe families' use of disability services when their children were between the ages of 3 and 8 years old. Disability was investigated on the basis of the presence of a severe special education code for children, and level of special edu ...[more]

PMID: 32003474

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Project description:BackgroundChildren with disabilities are widely believed to be less likely to attend school or access health care, and more vulnerable to poverty. There is currently little large-scale or internationally comparable evidence to support these claims. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of disability on the lives of children sponsored by Plan International across 30 countries.Methods and findingsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey including 907,734 children aged 0-17 participating in the Plan International Sponsorship Programme across 30 countries in 2012. Parents/guardians were interviewed using standardised questionnaires including information on: age, sex, health, education, poverty, and water and sanitation facilities. Disability was assessed through a single question and information was collected on type of impairment. The dataset included 8,900 children with reported disabilities across 30 countries. The prevalence of disability ranged from 0.4%-3.0% and was higher in boys than girls in 22 of the 30 countries assessed - generally in the range of 1.3-1.4 fold higher. Children with disabilities were much less likely to attend formal education in comparison to children without disabilities in each of the 30 countries, with age-sex adjusted odds ratios exceeding 10 for nearly half of the countries. This relationship varied by impairment type. Among those attending school, children with disabilities were at a lower level of schooling for their age compared to children without disabilities. Children with disabilities were more likely to report experiencing a serious illness in the last 12 months, except in Niger. There was no clear relationship between disability and poverty.ConclusionsChildren with disabilities are at risk of not fulfilling their educational potential and are more vulnerable to serious illness. This exclusion is likely to have a long-term deleterious impact on their lives unless services are adapted to promote their inclusion.

Dataset Information

Use of family disability service by families with young children with disabilities.

Aim

Method

Results

Interpretation

Publications

Use of family disability service by families with young children with disabilities.

Similar Datasets

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