Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) management is challenging. This pilot study investigated parents/caregivers’ perception of therapies and other interventions in their ASD children. Information for children attending NDS department of MATC in Winnipeg was collected from participants through questionnaire-guided interviews. Mixed quantitative/qualitative methods were employed to analyze data. A total of 12 participants completed the study and data from14 children were collected. All children attended school, 88% were males, and more than 50% reported eating/sleeping difficulties. ADHD comorbidity was reported in 69%. The prescription drug most commonly tried was risperidone 56%, which found effective in controlling aggressive behaviours. Melatonin mostly tried in children for sleep. Behavioural therapy was rated as the most effective intervention, but was often limited by coverage and waiting period’s issues. Common concerns voiced by participants were the lack of trained professionals, the limited understanding of ASD children’s needs and the uncertainty for the future of their children (financial/service support at older age). Future studies should be conducted in a larger population and a longer observation time to document the changing needs of ASD children. / May 2016

The overall aim of this study is to clarify the situation in school for children with language disorder from the parents’ perspective. Data were collected through five interviews with parents who have children of different ages and with various diagnosis within the language disorder spectra. A qualitative method based on a narrative inquiry was used and each interview was based on a interview guide with the following themes: the child’s difficulties, starting school, the school’s pedagogy, homework, action plans, participation and the future. Each story has its own themes, but there are also themes that are common in all interviews. One common theme in the parents’ stories is that school has a lack of knowledge when it comes to language disorder. The parents’ stories also centre on the experience of having a child with language disorder and on the extra pressure that this entails. Another shared theme is their worries about how their children will manage school and the school’s failure to take this concern seriously enough. Reading skills is an area where the parents experience that their children have difficulties. Additional subject-specific research is needed to provide school with the right tools to help children with language disorder to perform in school.

Spädbarnskolik är ett vanligt hälsoproblem. När ett barn lider av kolik är detta oftast påfrestande för barnets föräldrar. Dessa föräldrar upplever ofta oro, trötthet och en känsla av hjälplöshet, vilket kan påverka relationen mellan barnet och föräldrarna negativt och öka barnets skrikande. Känslor av frustration och ilska, vilka kan upplevas av trötta och stressade föräldrar, ökar risken för att föräldrar ska skaka eller ta hårt i barnet, vilket kan leda till att barn får allvarliga skador. BHV-sjuksköterskor är viktiga aktörer inom barnahälsovården och det är av stor vikt att de effektivt hjälper och stödjer föräldrar till barn med kolik. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka vilket stöd och vilken hjälp föräldrar till barn med kolik önskar sig från BHV-sjuksköterskor. Denna studie utfördes som en systematisk litteraturstudie. För studien valdes nio vetenskapliga artiklar ut. De utvalda artiklarna är från Sverige, Norge, USA och Sydafrika. Bland de utvalda artiklarna är sju artiklar med kvalitativ metod och två har utförts med blandad metod med kvalitativa intervjuer och deskriptiv statistik. Samtliga utvalda artiklar belyser föräldraperspektivet, med avseende på spädbarnskolik. Studiens resultat visar att förståelse och stöd från vårdpersonal har stor betydelse för föräldrar, för att de ska kunna klara av att hantera den svåra kolikperioden. Föräldrar önskar ofta att sjuksköterskor erbjuder systematisk rådgivning och systematisk uppföljning samt att barnets tillstånd undersöks noggrant. Flertalet föräldrar är även intresserade av att få information om metoder med bristande evidens. Det framgick i studien att sjuksköterskor kan misslyckas med att hjälpa familjer med kolik på grund av att sjuksköterskor kan se annorlunda på kolikproblemet än föräldrarna själva eller att föräldrar kan ifrågasätta sjuksköterskors kompetens vad gäller kolikhantering. Ett annat hinder kan vara att föräldrarnas förmåga att acceptera stöd kan vara försämrad på grund av bland annat social isolering. Resultaten av denna studie tyder även på att kolikdiagnosen kan upplevas både som positiv och negativ av föräldrar och att när spädbarnskolik ibland normaliseras av vårdpersonal kan detta upplevas som negativt av föräldrar. En viktig poäng som framgick i studien, är att föräldrar till barn med kolik har olika behov och kan uppskatta olika typer av stöd och av andra vårdinsatser. Utifrån studiens resultat är det viktigt att sjuksköterskor och annan vårdpersonal alltid lyssnar på föräldrar, bemöter föräldraperspektivet och anpassar alla vårdinsatser utifrån föräldrars individuella behov.

Childhood immunization has been one of the most important public health measures in the 20th century. In the United States, 95% of avoidable childhood diseases have been prevented through vaccinations. However, there have been growing concerns around the safety of vaccines, and this increased uncertainty has led to decreases in vaccination participation and increases in cases of preventable diseases. As such, is it important to understand why parents are not vaccinating their children. A qualitative approach was utilized to conduct this study. Flyers to recruit participants were distributed by healthcare providers and were posted in church facilities. Ten parents of children ages 3 to 8 years volunteered to participate to discuss their refusal to or delay in vaccinating their children. The health belief model functioned as the theoretical context to guide this phenomenological study approach in examining the reasons parents are not vaccinating or delaying vaccination of their children. Analysis included constructing a written description of the phenomenon as experienced by the research participants using their responses to the research question, followed by developing response coding schemes, identifying themes, justifying findings, and ensuring sound analysis and reporting of information. For example, word frequency and common phrases were the first steps of the analysis. Results showed that parents had a negative reaction towards childhood vaccination and felt that either the vaccine schedule was too aggressive or contained dangerous toxins that may have side effects. These findings can be used to assist healthcare providers in the way they provide outreach and education to parents as well as potentially helping develop tools that would encourage parents to vaccinate their children.

Academics within the field of education have produced extensive research. The purpose of previous studies has often been to explain the underlying causes, with a generalizing result, to how education operate within a nation. To contribute with an urban perspective, this studies aim is to research how parents from different socio-economic backgrounds in Mexico City are reasoning about their children’s schooling and education. What individual choices they have made and how the social context has impacted on these choices. The respondents were selected through a snowball selection using interviews with semistructured questions for data collection. The material was coded into two themes, individual level and societal level. The respondents with wealthier and poorer socioeconomic background were analysed separately and then compared and summarised. The theoretical framework is a combination of the human capability approach together with the findings in previous research. A finding in the research is that education is perceived differently depending on the socio-economic background. The respondents with wealthier socio-economic background are referring to the future work career and economic security as benefits for their children. The respondents with poorer socio-economic background are mentioning the opportunity to change their lives and “to not become like them”. Despite the different benefits mentioned, all respondents’ value education as the most important investment in life for their children. The conclusion drawn from the study is, that no matter what their socio-economic background is education a high priority.

Bakgrund: Vårdandet av barn med akuta och kroniska sjukdomar i hemmet samt vid palliativ vård har ökat under de sista årtiondena. Detta är i enlighet med Barnkonventionen och Nordisk Förening för Sjuka Barns Behov (NOBAB) som förespråkar att barn ska få den bästa möjliga sjukvården samt inte skiljas från sina föräldrar.  Det finns internationell forskning som visar att hemsjukvård för barn kan minska vårdtiden på sjukhuset samt antal inläggningar. Vidare visar forskning även föräldrarnas och sjuksköterskors upplevelse av hemsjukvård för barn med specifika diagnoser eller palliativ vård. I Sverige är tillgången till hemsjukvård för barn samt hur den är utformad beroende på var barnet bor i landet, samt vilken diagnos eller åkomma det har. Den utförs antingen inom kommunen eller utifrån ett sjukhus, alltså av regionerna. Det finns svensk forskning som visar att föräldrar föredrar att barnet erhåller sjukvård i hemmet och att det är en kostnadseffektiv lösning i de tätbefolkade delarna av landet. Motiv: Det fattas forskning som belyser föräldrars erfarenheter av hemsjukvård för barn i den svenska glesbygden, och hur behovet av stöttning möjligtvis kan förändras under tiden. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att beskriva föräldrars behov och erfarenheter av sjukvårdsinsatser i hemmet - från övergången av vård på sjukhus till långvarig hemsjukvård. Metod: Semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med föräldrar till barn som erhåller hemsjukvård. Intervjuerna analyserades med hjälp av en kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: Analysen av insamlad data resulterade i fyra kategorier Att uppleva kompetent hjälp, Att uppleva otillräcklig hjälp, Att önska mer familjevänliga lösningar och Att använda telemedicin.   Konklusion: Studien ökar förståelse och ödmjukhet för den situation familjer befinner sig i när ett långvarigt sjukt barn erhåller hemsjukvård. Det framkommer att det behövs en förbättring av hemsjukvårdsverksamheten för att minska påfrestningen och hitta mer familjevänliga lösningar, som gynnar både familjer och samhället. / Background: During the last decade, home care services (HCS) for children with acute and chronic diseases as well as home based palliative care for children increased notably. This conforms with UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and NOBAB standards requiring the most excellent care for a sick child while not being separated from its parents. International studies suggest that HCS for children decreases the average length of hospital stays and readmissions rates. Furthermore, there are studies exploring both parents’ and nurses’ experiences of HCS for children with specific diagnoses and for children receiving palliative care.  In Sweden, both access to paediatric HCS and how these services are organized largely depends on where the child lives and its diagnosis. HCS for children are either community-based or hospital-based. Swedish studies point out that parents prefer HCS over hospital care for their child and that HCS is cost-effective in the more densely populated parts of Sweden. Motive: There is a lack of studies researching parents’ experiences of HCS for sick children in the more sparsely populated parts of Sweden and how the need for support might change over time.   Aim: The purpose of this study was to describe parents’ needs and experiences of home nursing services for children – transitioning from hospital care to HCS. Methods: Data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews with parents receiving HCS for sick children. The interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results: Analysis of the interviews resulted in four categories: Experiencing competent help, Experiencing insufficient support, Wishing more family-friendly solutions and Usage of telemedicine.  Conclusion: This study creates an understanding of families’ experiences receiving HCS for a chronically sick child. There is a need for improving the HCS-organisation to decrease stress on families and to find more family-friendly solutions, benefiting both families and society.

Familjehemsvård är den vanligaste placeringsformen i Sverige för barn som inte kan bo med sin familj. När sammanbrott sker berörs de närmast involverade. Syftet var att genom en allmän litteraturöversikt undersöka familjehemsföräldrars perspektiv på sammanbrott i familjehemsvård. 10 vetenskapliga artiklar låg till grund för resultatet som analyserades med hjälp av sorg- och kristeori samt salutogenetiskt perspektiv. Resultatet visade att sammanbrott väcker olika känslor som sorg, förlust, lättnad och ångest. Familjehemsföräldrar kände sig misslyckade och upplevde sig ha svikit barnet. Dessa känslor kunde även leda till en identitetskris hos familjehemsföräldrarna. Vidare uppmärksammades att relationen till, och kommunikationen med, socialtjänsten påverkade upplevelsen av sammanbrott. Brister i samverkan med socialtjänsten kunde negativt påverka stödet till familjehemsföräldrarna. / In Sweden, family foster care is the most common form of placement for children who cannot live with their families. Disruptions in placements can occur and affect those most immediately involved. The purpose of this literature review was to explore foster parents’ perspectives on placement breakdown. The result was based on 10 scientific articles that were analyzed through bereavement theory and salutogenic perspective. Results show that placement disruption awakens emotions such as sorrow, loss, relief and anxiety. Foster parents’ experienced failure and felt that they had betrayed the child. These feelings could also lead to an identity crisis for the foster parents. Further observations indicated that the relationship to, and communication with, social services affected foster parents’ perceptions of disruption. The shortcomings in collaboration with social services could influence the support offered to foster parents in a negative way.

The purpose of this study is to explore the different ways parents experience meetings with the preschool and the relationships between themselves and the preschool staff. The purpose is also to explore parents’ views of the shared responsibilities of the children’s formation at home and in preschool. To research this, a qualitative approach with interviews and an interpretative phenomenological analysis method, is applied in order to arrive at a more profound understanding of how the shared responsibility in formation is experienced by the parents. This approach is chosen to get an in-depth understanding of the parents’ understandings and experiences. The theoretical framework applied is Urie Bronfenbrenner’s theory of ecological development, chosen for its’s ability to explore different levels of a person’s encounters with a particular environment. The results highlight the complexity of parents’ interactions with the preschool as an organization. Parents have concerns with what happens at an organizational level, which reflects on the staff, and ultimately on the everyday environment of the children. Furthermore, the study shows that a good relationship between parents and preschool staff, and how this relationship is experienced by parents, are affected by aspects such as stability and an understanding of each other.  In the area of child development, parents regard children’s formation as their responsibility, while the formation and socialization that occurs in preschools are group oriented and focused on learning. From the parent’s perspective, the formation that teachers contribute to and work with in a preschool environment are focused on democratic values such as being a good friend, not fighting with each other, help each other and show empathy towards one another. In considering the organizational aspects of preschools, the communication levels between staff and parents have been limited due to the current pandemic, which has had an effect on parent-teacher relationships. The study highlights a need for further understanding and a more developed communication approach between parents, teachers, and management, as well as organizational transparency in an effort to increase parents’ understanding of the aims and works of preschool.

Bakgrund: Diabetes mellitus typ 1 är en kronisk sjukdom vilken medför stora omställningar i livet för både barn och föräldrar. Föräldrar har huvudansvaret för egenvården när deras barn får DMT1 och det ger dem ett stort ansvar att strukturera upp rutiner och få vardagen att gå ihop. Sjukdomen kräver livslång insulinbehandling och det finns risk för hypo- eller hyperglykemi. Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva föräldrars upplevelser av stöd när deras barn lever med diabetes mellitus typ 1. Metod: En litteraturbaserad studie baserad på 12 vetenskapliga kvalitativa artiklar med föräldraperspektiv. Resultat: Ur analysen framträdde två huvudteman; stärker föräldrars självtillit och brister som bidrar till ökad oro, med sju underteman. Konklusion: Stöd stärker föräldrars självtillit. Telefonen ger föräldrarna trygghet då de snabbt kan få kontroll över svårhanterbara situationer genom att ringa till sjukvårdspersonal. Föräldrar upplever stort stöd i att dela erfarenheter med andra i samma situation. Föräldrar upplever att brister i stödet bidrar till en ökad oro. Föräldrar upplever att okunskap hos skolpersonal och anhöriga skapar en rädsla för deras barns säkerhet och gör det svårt för dem att få avlastning på lång sikt. / Background: Type 1 diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition causing significant life adjustment for both children and parents. Parents bear the primary responsibility for self-care when their child has type 1 diabetes mellitus, necessitating routine structuring and daily life management. The disease requires lifelong insulin treatment, with risk of hypo- or hyperglycemia. Aim: To describe parents’ experiences of support when their child lives with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Method: A litterateur-based study based on 12 articles with qualitative approach. Findings: From the analysis two themes were identified; Strengthens parents' self-confidence and deficiencies that contribute to increased with seven subthemes. Conclusion: Support strengthens parents' self-confidence. The phone provides parents with reassurance as they can quickly gain control over challenging situations by contacting healthcare professionals. Parents feel significant support in sharing experiences with others in similar situations. Parents perceive that deficiencies in support contribute to increased anxiety. Parents perceive that ignorance among school staff and relatives creates fear for their children's safety and makes it difficult for them to obtain long-term relief.

The aim of this study was to describe and understand parents’ perspectives in aid assessment for children according to The Swedish Act (1993:387) concerning Support and Service for Persons with Certain Functional Impairments (Lag 1993:387 om stöd och service till vissa funktionshindrade, LSS). The study took place in the county of Kronoberg, Sweden, and was based on a total of nine qualitative interviews. Four interviews were made with parents’ of children who has interventions according to LSS (1993:387) and five interviews were made with LSS case workers. In our study we saw that parents’ perspectives often is the largest amount of information that case workers take into account when assessing aid and as a case worker you listen to the parents perspectives to capture the child’s and the family’s needs. It also came clear that the parents’ perspective is not only about the child’s needs, but also includes the parent’s own needs and their family’s needs. The parents in the study felt that they made the decision about the choice of aid and considered themselves as the one who decides the family’s requirements. It turned out that treatment and understanding from the case workers was important for gaining access to the best help and making parents feel listened to. Parental responsibility was of great importance for the assessment, and it often led to disagreement between parents and case workers. During the study, we saw that power existed in the relationship between case workers and parents, but that it could be moved and changed during the time of aid assessment.