It's Not Just Me. Parents' Perceptions of a Multi-Disciplinary Therapy Group for Infants with Disabilities.

Aim: To explore parent perceptions of Baby Club, a therapeutic program involving physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech and language therapy for infants with physical disabilities under 2 years and to better understand how the group addresses child and family needs.

Methods

A qualitative descriptive design using semi-structured interviews and a brief demographics questionnaire. Eight parents who attended a Baby Club program between 2017 and 2018 were recruited from ErinoakKids Centre for Treatment and Development. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and de-identified. A content analysis approach was used with an inductive process to generate a coding scheme. Investigators developed overarching themes.

Results

Three themes representing parents' perceptions of Baby Club were identified: (1) Learning Together through Play and Fun; (2) I'm Not the Only One - Sharing and Support; (3) The Value of Therapist Time and Expertise.

Conclusions

Baby Club provides parents and infants with opportunities to learn new skills through play, providing enriching social experiences and networking in a supportive therapeutic group environment.