Exploring Caregivers' Perspectives on Participation in a Therapy-Based Dance Program for Children with Disabilities: A Qualitative Study.

AIM: This study aimed to 1) understand caregiver's perspectives on the facilitators and barriers of participating in a proposed pediatric therapy-based dance program, (2) explore caregivers' perspectives on a therapy-based dance program aimed at achieving individualized occupational therapy and physical therapy goals in a group setting, and (3) understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on prioritization of participation in therapy services.

METHODS

Eight caregivers to children with cognitive and/or physical disabilities participated in semi-structured virtual interviews consisting of open-ended questions. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim and conventional content analysis was used to analyze the transcripts.

RESULTS

Four categories were identified, mapping to the four layers of the Social Ecological Model of Health (Sallis & Fisher, 2008): 1) Child specific factors impact optimal participation in the program, 2) Family-related factors influence the feasibility of the child's participation, 3) Program specific factors should aim to meet each child's individual needs, and 4) Systemic healthcare factors influence the accessibility of services. Key recommendations for the program's re-design were identified from the data: 1) minimize costs and identify funding sources, 2) ensure small provider-to-participant ratios, 3) facilitate effective collaboration between the therapists and caregivers, 4) create a supportive environment of participants' needs.

Conclusions

Factors related to the child, family, program and healthcare system offer guidance to the re-design of the proposed therapy-based dance program, and other pediatric therapy programs.