2025/04/28 by Sarah Hayward, Daniel Hayes, Tom Griffiths +2 · 2 voices · 1 citation
Psychology · Medicine · Neuroscience · #Family and Disability Support Research #Infant Development and Preterm Care #Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
paper · pdf · doi:10.1007/s40474-025-00327-0
Abstract Purpose of Review Parents of children with complex neurodisabilities have multiple encounters with healthcare and disability professionals. Many parents view these encounters as unsatisfactory, citing a failure of professionals to listen to their perspectives. This meta-narrative review provides a novel synthesis of the research traditions examining parent-professional collaboration. This re-evaluation of collaborative relationships is timely given current dialogues within children’s services in response to evolving understandings of disability and neurodiversity. Recent Findings Seven research traditions are described with roots in: social justice, social ecology and sociology, community psychology, adolescent psychiatry, special education, cultural anthropology, and critical disability studies. Summary This review highlights several ‘mixed messages’ arising between policies and experiences which can create discord between parents and professionals; along with institutional contexts which prohibit relationship building. Flexible and responsive services are challenging to deliver yet co-developed interventions which value parents’ knowledge and skills are an important driver for institutional and policy change.