Most studies exploring parents’ priorities for their children have included a heterogeneous sample of children with various physical disabilities and have not examined whether priorities differ based on the child’s age and severity of the child’s condition. Parents of children under 8 years of age referred for occupational therapy identified personal care, functional mobility, play, and socializing most frequently as their priorities.6 Pollock and Stewart7 examined the needs of 92 young
school-aged children with physical disabilities at school and in the community. Parents identified mobility most often as a priority and expressed concerns about dressing,toileting, socialization, play, and written work. In a sample of 14 adolescents with physical disabilities, parents expressed the highest percentage of priorities for self-care, followed
by household management and socialization.8 Parents also were particularly concerned about implications for the future. A qualitative study with 15 families of adolescents with physical disabilities showed that parents were concerned about
nutrition and physical activity, social life, future productivity, daily routines, and balancing their adolescents’ need for independence with safety and energy conservation.9