Chinese Families of Children with Severe Disabilities: Family Needs and Available Support

Abstract

This descriptive study gathered quantitative and qualitative data about 368 families in the People's Republic of China who had children with severe disabilities to better understand (a) the perceived needs that families have, (b) the supports available to them, (c) any differences in perceived needs and support between mothers and fathers, and (d) any differences in needs and supports associated with the disability of the child. Data suggest that Chinese families of children with severe disabilities perceived the need for more community services, information, and family/social support. With respect to support systems, parents indicated that they primarily rely on their child's school, their spouse, and their extended families. Minor differences were found between mothers and fathers (with mothers perceiving greater level of needs than fathers), and families of children with autism tended to report greater needs for information and supports than parents of children with intellectual disabilities or physical disabilities. The implications and limitations of these findings are discussed.