Family ecology of young children with cerebral palsy
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AbstractBackgroundFamily ecology in early childhood may influence children's activity and participation in daily life. The aim of this study was to describe family functioning, family expectations of their children, family support to their children, and supports for families of young children with cerebral palsy (CP) based on children's gross motor function level.MethodsParticipants were 398 children withCP(mean age = 44.9 months) and their parents residing in theUSAandCanada. Parents completed four measures of family ecology, theFamilyEnvironmentScale (FES),FamilyExpectations ofChild (FEC),FamilySupport toChild (FSC) andFamilySupport Scale (FSS).ResultsThe median scores on theFESindicated average to high family functioning and the median score on theFSSindicated that families had helpful family supports. On average, parents reported high expectations of their children on theFECand strong support to their children on theFSC. On theFES, higher levels of achievement orientation were reported by parents of children in Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levelIIthan parents of children in level I, and higher levels of control were reported by parents of children in level I than parents of children in levelIV. On theFEC, parents of children with limited gross motor function (levelV) reported lower expectations than parents of children at all other levels.ConclusionsFamily ecology, including family strengths, expectations, interests, supports and resources, should be discussed when providing interventions and supports for young children withCPand their families.
