Confident championing: A grounded theory of parental adjustment following a child’s diagnosis of developmental disability

• Published in: British journal of learning disabilities 2021-06, Vol.49 (2), p.247-258
• Main Authors: O' Connor, Anne B., Carpenter, Barry, Coughlan, Barry
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adjustment (to Environment); Child Rearing; Children; Clinical Diagnosis; Developmental Disabilities; developmental disability; Diagnosis; early intervention; family‐centred practice; Grounded Theory; neurodevelopmental disorder; parental adjustment; Parents; Parents & parenting
• ISSN: 1354-4187; 1468-3156
• DOI: 10.1111/bld.12360

Accessible summary This paper is about how parents adjust to parenting their child who has a developmental disability. We spoke to parents about their experiences and developed a theory to help explain how parents adjust when their child has a developmental challenge. As well as describing the stress, that parents experience, this theory also captures the fulfilment and sense of purpose that parents experience as they parent their child. This research is important because it helps explain what happens for parents after their child's diagnosis and provides suggestions on how services can improve to help families. This paper describes a study exploring the parental response to the diagnosis of their child's developmental disability. A classic grounded theory methodology was used to analyse data comprising 19 interviews and 11 memoirs written by parents. The theory explains how parents adjust to champion their child, who has been identified as having a developmental challenge. At the heart of becoming a champion is a psychological process in which parents refine their perspectives on disability awareness, their aspirations and parenting capacity as they develop their championing skills. Refining perspectives and championing are influenced by two factors: the nature of the child's challenges and service factors. The theory of Confident Championing offers a multivariant model that explains the dynamic nature of the adjustment process, capturing both the stress and the fulfilment and sense of purpose that parents experience.