Exploration of the Feasibility of Remote Assessment of Functioning in Children and Adolescents with Developmental Disabilities: Parents’ Perspectives and Related Contextual Factors

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted face-to-face health services, leveraging telehealth strategies. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate, from a parent’s perspective, the feasibility of a remote assessment of functioning in children with developmental disabilities during the pandemic and related contextual factors, based on how parents carry out the assessment. Parents of children with developmental disabilities (mean age = 7.56 ± 3.68) responded to a remote assessment via electronic forms and telephone interview. We analyzed parents’ perspectives about the feasibility of the assessment. We also tested the association between feasibility score and sociodemographics/pandemic experience. Regression analysis tested if children’s functioning characteristics predicted feasibility. A total of 57 mothers completed the remote assessment, and more than 95% did not report difficulties in accessing/responding to electronic forms. They scored remote assessment as easy and feasible, and reported no difficulties with telephone interview. Greater feasibility rates were related to lower maternal age (rho Spearman = −0.290; p = 0.029). The model shows that children’s characteristics predicted 20.4% of feasibility (p < 0.005). Remote assessment showed to be feasible. Younger mothers might consider easier-to-use technologies, beyond considering remote assessment more viable. These results can guide the next steps in research and remote clinical practice.

Home participation and personal and environmental factors in children and adolescents with Down syndrome

“…During that time, many more families were in total social distancing; this situation might have impacted all families similarly, which might explain why we did not find an association. Another study from our group showed that the home participation of children with disabilities did not change after 4 months of the pandemic, when most caregivers were practicing partial social distancing 33 during a period when infection rates were high (2020). Therefore, these studies occurred at different stages of the pandemic, with the latter study addressing different samples, thus explaining the contrasting results.…”