Children with disability: Barriers to regular attendance in rehabilitation sessions

Parents play a crucial role in the success of their disabled children’s rehabilitation programs، by bringing them regularly for therapy sessions. However، not all of parents are always present at rehabilitation clinics at their appointment times. The purpose of this study was to determine which barriers the parents are mostly confronted with in compliance with the regular attendance to therapy sessions. In this survey، parents of ninety two disabled children were interviewed. These children were receiving occupational therapy، speech therapy or physiotherapy in rehabilitation outpatient clinics in Birjand، Iran. A questionnaire composed of closed and open ended questions was used for this purpose. The questionnaire was approved by using Lawshe method and based on the opinions of eleven experts، the content validity ratio was calculated to be 0. 73، and test-retest reliability was 0. 89. Data analysis was performed using Chi-square، exact fisher test or Independent sample t-test when appropriate. Among all parents، fourthy four subjects (47. 8%) were compliant with regular attendance to therapy sessions. According to parental responses to questions، «high cost of rehabilitation services»، «long distance between home and rehabilitation clinics»، «difficulties in carrying the child»، «poor weather conditions in some seasons» and «not having enough time» were the most important barriers to compliance. There was a significant correlation between «morning-only opening hours of rehabilitation clinics» and parental compliance (P = 0. 020، OR = 0. 181، CI = 0. 037-0. 879). Considering the benefits of regular attendance to therapy sessions on children''s improvement and considering the results of this study، we suggest future work should explore the effects of removal of each particular barrier on parent compliance with regular attendance to their children''s therapy sessions.