The Centers for Disease and Control reported that the global prevalence for Autism Spectrum Disorder has increased by 78% since 2002, with one in every sixty-eight children being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). A diagnosis of ASD includes several lifelong neurodevelopment disorders. These include Autistic Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), Asperger’s Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, and Rett Syndrome (CDC, 2014). These disorders are often marked by varied limitations in social interactions, verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities. While these limitations
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The American Academy of Pediatrics outlined six goals for family-centered care: 1) to listen to and respect each child and his or her family; 2) to ensure that services can be tailored to the needs, beliefs, and cultural values of each child and family; 3) to share complete, honest, and unbiased information with patients and their families; 4) to provide and ensure formal and informal support (e.g., peer-to-peer support) for the child and family; 5) to collaborate with patients and families at all levels of health care; and 6) to recognize and build on the strengths of individual children and families (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2012). Family-centered care includes a broad definition of family, meaning that siblings and non-biologically-related family members may be included in the health care …show more content…
A study conducted by Bellin, Osteen, Heffernan, Levy, and Snyder-Vogel (2011) examined the practice of family-centered care by health care professionals and families whose children had special health care needs, such as those experienced by children diagnosed with ASD. The researchers found that though health care professionals were generally meeting these families’ needs for specific communication and were respectful of parents’ expertise and competence in their care giving role, parents and professional alike indicated that there were deficiencies in promotion of family-to-family connection or opportunities for the entire family to receive information about the disability and additional support services. Family caregivers supporting individuals with ASD have already been found to be the least likely among caregivers supporting a family member with an intellectual or developmental disability to agree that they know how to access information and assistance when needed (Anderson et al., 2011). Therefore, this something that needs to be addressed in future implementations of family-centered care in the care of children diagnosed with
The American Academy of Pediatrics outlined six goals for family-centered care: 1) to listen to and respect each child and his or her family; 2) to ensure that services can be tailored to the needs, beliefs, and cultural values of each child and family; 3) to share complete, honest, and unbiased information with patients and their families; 4) to provide and ensure formal and informal support (e.g., peer-to-peer support) for the child and family; 5) to collaborate with patients and families at all levels of health care; and 6) to recognize and build on the strengths of individual children and families (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2012). Family-centered care includes a broad definition of family, meaning that siblings and non-biologically-related family members may be included in the health care …show more content…
A study conducted by Bellin, Osteen, Heffernan, Levy, and Snyder-Vogel (2011) examined the practice of family-centered care by health care professionals and families whose children had special health care needs, such as those experienced by children diagnosed with ASD. The researchers found that though health care professionals were generally meeting these families’ needs for specific communication and were respectful of parents’ expertise and competence in their care giving role, parents and professional alike indicated that there were deficiencies in promotion of family-to-family connection or opportunities for the entire family to receive information about the disability and additional support services. Family caregivers supporting individuals with ASD have already been found to be the least likely among caregivers supporting a family member with an intellectual or developmental disability to agree that they know how to access information and assistance when needed (Anderson et al., 2011). Therefore, this something that needs to be addressed in future implementations of family-centered care in the care of children diagnosed with