1. Objectifs

Intentions :
The goals of this study «were to: (1) describe parents’ satisfaction with general and specific elements of the services provided by [a pilot clinic to reduce waiting lists for the assessment and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability in young children], (2) document parents’ perceptions of the impact of services on their family, and (3) identify systemic, family, and child factors that are linked to parental satisfaction.» (p. 1188)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«Parents of 259 children enrolled in the present study, which represents a 23.5% participation rate.» (p. 3) «Among the children of participating families (79.9% male), 54.8% were diagnosed with ASD [autism spectrum disorder], 3.5% with intellectual disability, 29.3% with both intellectual disability and ASD, and 12.4% were diagnosed with other neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., language disorder and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder). Children’s mean age was 44 months at intake […] and 56 months […] at the time of the diagnosis.» (p. 1188)

Instruments :
Questionnaire

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

Results of this study show that «parents reported very high levels of satisfaction with the assessment services they received at the clinic. Most of them said that the center had helped their family, namely by providing rapid access to a formal diagnosis, which enabled them to access interventions and funding. Parents also indicated the importance of the information as well as the practical and psychological support they received, for instance with respect to understanding their child’s needs and identifying appropriate interventions. Thus, the rapid assessment based on best practices offered by the pilot clinic could be successful in addressing parental satisfaction concerns associated with this phase of the care and services trajectory. The present study also documented parents’ satisfaction with four main aspects of their experience with the diagnostic process: Information, Professionals, Time, and Diagnosis.» (p. 8) In addition, «[f]amilies with lower incomes tended to report greater satisfaction with the documentation and verbal information they received from the center about the diagnosis, services, and financial support.» (p. 1195)