Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Family Perspectives On Developmental Monitoring: A Qualitative Study, Sarah Behrens, Evan Dean, Marisol Torres

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Developmental monitoring, an ongoing process to identify children at risk for developmental delays, is an essential component to the identification of a developmental disability in young children. In collaboration with families, medical professionals are expected to monitor the development of a child; however, current research focuses on screening with less attention on developmental monitoring and the role of the family. Here, we show the experiences of families with medical professionals specific to developmental monitoring and how families obtain and develop knowledge on child development. We analyze qualitative data from a sample of family caregivers using semi-structured interviews. With a thematic …