Life In Children Research Articles

Early Parenting Interventions to Enhance Development in Infants and Children Born Prematurely: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Parenting interventions have the potential to become effective strategies for improving the developmental trajectories of infants and children born prematurely. However, the effectiveness of parenting interventions is not well understood. A literature search was conducted in five databases. A total of 24 studies involving 3,636 participants were included for review. The results showed a significant effect in cognition, language, motor development, and behavioral problems of children born prematurely. Parenting stress, anxiety, and interactive behaviors showed significant effect size. This review focuses on interventions that employ scaffolding parenting strategies to enhance the development of children born prematurely. Efforts should continue to empower parents through effective and sustainable parenting interventions to improve the quality of life of preterm children.

Assessing the quality of life in Hydrocephalic children: A study from Tertiary Care Hospitals in Pakistan.

Hydrocephalus is a neurological disease with higher prevalence in the pediatric population, often managed by placing a shunt. This hollow tube drains excess cerebrospinal fluid from the brain to other body parts, resulting in several complications, including neurological and psychometric manifestations and a compromised quality-of-life (QoL). This study aimed to evaluate QoL in patients with hydrocephalus shunt placement within the pediatric population. This prospective observational study was conducted in two major Pakistani tertiary care hospitals. A total of 100 subjects were enrolled, of which 52 were found eligible. A validated questionnaire, HOQ, was used to evaluate patients' QoL. This study included pediatric patients with a mean age of 6.54 and a standard deviation of ± 2.64. The male-to-female ratio was 27:25. 2% of patients had congenital or tumor-induced hydrocephalus, while cases of meningitis, encephalocele, and encephalitis accounted for 8, 4, and 2 percent respectively. Myelomeningocele had the highest prevalence at 16%. The overall health scores range from 0.39 to 0.51. Social, cognitive, and physical health scores have mean values of 0.54, 0.50, and 0.48, respectively. The minimum physical health score is 0.17, indicating the most significant impact of hydrocephalus on physical function. This study highlights variations in hydrocephalus severity among pediatric patients, impacting their overall QoL, primarily physical and behavioral functioning. Worse health outcomes were associated with frequent seizures, prolonged hospital stays for diagnosis and treatment, shunt infections, increased number of shunt catheters, and longer travel distances to medical facilities.

Impact of Gluten-Free and Casein-Free Diet on Behavioural Outcomes and Quality of Life of Autistic Children and Adolescents: A Scoping Review

Background: Gluten- and casein-containing foods could aggravate the symptoms of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and subsequently impact their quality of life. However, there is a mixed opinion among researchers concerning the impact of alternative diet on reducing ASD symptoms. Objective: This scoping review aimed at examining the impact of the “gluten-free, casein-free” (GFCF) diet on health outcomes and the quality of life among autistic children and adolescents. Methods: A scoping review of the literature was performed following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines. Four databases, including EbscoHost, Medline, CINAHL, and ProQuest, were used to obtain subject-specific studies relevant to the research question and published between July 2013 and March 2024. A comprehensive search using keywords such as “autism spectrum disorder”, “gluten-free diet”, and “casein-free diet” was conducted to obtain articles related to the research focus area. Only full-text, peer-reviewed, written in English articles were selected. Data extraction and data analysis were performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses-extension to Scoping Review (PRISMA-ScR) protocol. Results: From the initial 586 studies, a total of 27 articles were included in the final analysis of the review. The thematic analysis included “GFCF diet and improvement of the core autistic symptoms”, “the gut–brain link”, “dietary interventions and autism”, “possible side effects due to the GCFC diet”, and “inconclusive studies and mixed opinions”. A majority of the studies showed a positive effect of the GFCF diet on a variety of autistic symptoms, including positive changes in cognitive skills, behaviour, and gastrointestinal symptoms, while some showed conflicting evidence. Conclusions: The currently available evidence on the impact of the “GFCF” diet on the quality of life of autistic children and adolescents may warrant potentially effective interventions for alleviating symptoms of autism spectrum disorders. However, this scoping review highlights the need for more research to provide more reliable evidence on the health outcomes and quality of life of ASD sufferers to guide practice.

Current situation and prospect of diagnosis and therapy of childhood acute leukemia in China

Acute leukemia is the most common hematopoietic stem cell malignant tumor in children, which ranks in the top one of the incidence of tumor in children, it is a major disease that affects the growth and survival of children. With the continuous improvement of medical diagnosis and treatment and the extensive development of immunotherapy, the survival rate and quality of life of children with acute leukemia have been significantly improved. In recent years, three cooperative groups of childhood leukemia have been established in China, and a series of high-level research results have been published. In the future, efforts should be made to promote the process of standardization and homogenization in the diagnosis and treatment of children's acute leukemia, explore the monitoring targets of sensitive residual diseases, and find the best treatment for refractory/recurrent cases. Speeding up the clinical research of new drugs will be an urgent problem and development direction in the field of acute leukemia diagnosis and treatment in children.

Implementation of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in a Child with Obsessive - Compulsive Disorder: A Case Study

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a prevalent child and adolescent psychiatric condition characterized by substantial functional impairments. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has emerged as the primary therapeutic approach for managing mild to moderate cases of OCD in children and adolescents. Significant advancements have been made in applying CBT specifically to this age group in the past decade. Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is a core therapeutic technique grounded in the principle that anxiety tends to diminish through repeated exposure to anxiety-inducing stimuli, leading to a gradual reduction in anxiety response. In the present study, we present the case of a 9-year-old boy with OCD who was treated with CBT. Τhe evaluation of this case highlights the necessity for rigorous behavior analysis to precisely implement exposure therapy and the significance of multidisciplinary intervention in the child's daily life. In the discussion that follows the analysis of the case, parameters such as the differentiation of ERP in children compared to adults, the control of OCD over the rest of the family members and the OCD phenomenology of parents have been discussed. Additionally, the effect of the patient's comorbidity on the treatment outcome and his compliance with homework were also addressed.

Sacral nerve stimulation leads to long-term improvement in fecal incontinence and quality of life for children with functional and organic defecation disorders.

Our objective was to evaluate long-term outcomes of sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) for children with functional and organic defecation disorders. We performed a prospective study of children <21 years of age who started SNS treatment between 2012 and 2018. We recorded demographics, medical history, and diagnostic testing. We obtained measures of symptom severity and quality of life at baseline and follow up at 1, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, and ≥60 months. Successful response was defined as bowel movements >2 times/week and fecal incontinence (FI) <1 time/week. Families were contacted to administer the Glasgow Children's Benefit Inventory and to evaluate patient satisfaction. We included 65 patients (59% female, median age at SNS 14 years, range 9-21) with median follow-up of 32 months. Thirty patients had functional constipation (FC), 15 had non-retentive FI (NRFI), and 16 had an anorectal malformation (ARM). The percentage with FI <1 time/week improved from 30% at baseline to 64% at 1 year (p < 0.001) and 77% at most recent follow-up (p < 0.001). Patients with FC, NRFI, and ARM had sustained improvement in FI (p = 0.02, p < 0.001, p = 0.02). Patients also reported fewer hard stools (p = 0.001). Bowel movement frequency did not improve after SNS. At most recent follow-up, 77% of patients with a functional disorder and 50% with an organic disorder had responded (p = 0.03). Nearly all families reported benefit. SNS led to sustained improvement in FI regardless of underlying etiology, but children with functional disorders were more likely to respond than those with organic disorders.

Relationship Between Eating Pattern, Home Sanitation and Parenting Mother with Stunting in Children Under Two Years in The Working Area of Puskesmas Puuwatu Kendari City

Stunting is one of the nutritional problems that adversely affects the quality of life of children in achieving optimal growth and development points according to their genetic potential. Stunting is more dangerous for baduta, because it is more likely to inhibit the growth process. The 2018 of Indonesia resistance increased to 36.4%. This research aims to determine the relationship between eating patterns, house sanitation, maternal parenting patterns and the nutritional status (stunting) of children under two years of age in the Puuwatu Health Center Working Area, Kendari City. This research was an observational analytic study with a cross-sectional approach and was conducted in March at the Posyandu Dian Palupi and Posyandu Membiri in Puuwatu Village. The sample used in this study was 58 baduta. The sampling technique is a random sampling, The data was analyzed using the chi square test. This study showed no significant relationship (p = 0.095) between diet and child nutritional status, no significant relationship (p = 0.265) between parenting and child nutritional status and no significant relationship (p = 0.620) between sanitation home with the nutritional status of children

Children and families with chronic pediatric acquired brain injury in need of rehabilitation: characteristics and main challenges in daily life

Purpose To increase our understanding of child and parent characteristics, family functioning and main challenges in daily life in children and families in need of rehabilitation in the chronic phase of pediatric acquired brain injury (pABI). Methods Fifty-eight children (aged 6–16, 48% girls) were included at least one year post ABI. Demographics and questionnaire data regarding children’s symptom burden, parents’ emotional symptoms and family functioning were collected. Children and parents named their main pABI-related challenges in daily life, and these were categorized in accordance with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Descriptive statistical analyses were performed. Results Parents’ emotional symptom loads were high; 22.3% had moderate, moderate-severe or severe depression symptoms while the equivalent number for anxiety symptoms was 17.9%. Problematic family functioning was reported by 32.1% of parents. When asked about their main pABI-related challenges in daily life, 69% of children named school. The most frequent ICF chapters for children and parents were school education, energy and drive functions (mainly fatigue), and emotional functions. Codes spanned across all ICF-domains. Conclusions Rehabilitation for pABI should have a broad, interdisciplinary, and family-centered approach, with school, fatigue, and emotional functioning of parents and children as potential core elements.

The effect of war exposure on children; an exploration of conflict and post-conflict gendered experiences

ABSTRACT Armed conflict has tragically become commonplace in the lives of many children. Children do not only witness conflict violence and are subjected to it, but are also sometimes forced to perpetrate violence themselves. Recently, scholars from different fields have examined these experiences. However, few scholars have considered the experiences of girls or have compared these experiences to those of boys. This is surprising given the increased focus of the international community on the protection of girls. This exploratory study is an attempt to overcome this by examining the experiences of boys and girls during conflict and whether these gendered experiences have influenced social relationships in the aftermath of war. Empirically, we rely on 315 structured interviews with Congolese boys and girls. Some of these children were actively involved in armed groups in the Eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Our descriptive analysis shows remarkable differences between boys and girls. This work has important consequences for the study of the effect of conflict on children, the role of girls during and after conflict, and the international policy community.

Use of diabetes technology in children.

Children with type 1 diabetes and their caregivers face numerous challenges navigating the unpredictability of this complex disease. Although the burden of managing diabetes remains significant, new technology has eased some of the load and allowed children with type 1 diabetes to achieve tighter glycaemic management without fear of excess hypoglycaemia. Continuous glucose monitor use alone improves outcomes and is considered standard of care for paediatric type 1 diabetes management. Similarly, automated insulin delivery (AID) systems have proven to be safe and effective for children as young as 2 years of age. AID use improves not only blood glucose levels but also quality of life for children with type 1 diabetes and their caregivers and should be strongly considered for all youth with type 1 diabetes if available and affordable. Here, we review key data on the use of diabetes technology in the paediatric population and discuss management issues unique to children and adolescents.

Complications and Health-Related Quality of Life in Children with Various Etiologies of Early-Onset Scoliosis Treated with Magnetically Controlled Growing Rods—A Multicenter Study

Background: Early-onset scoliosis (EOS) refers to spinal deformities that develop and are diagnosed before the age of 10. The most important goals of the surgical treatment of EOS are to stop the progression of curvature, achieve the best possible correction, preserve motion, and facilitate spinal growth. The objectives of this multicenter study were to analyze the risk of complications among patients with EOS treated using magnetically controlled growing rods (MCGRs) and assess the patients’ and their parents’ quality of life after diagnosis and treatment with a minimum two-year follow-up. Methods: Patients given an ineffective nonoperative treatment qualified for surgery with MCGRs. This study involved 161 patients (90 females and 71 males) who were classified according to the etiology of curvature. The intraoperative and postoperative complications and those that occurred during the continuation of treatment with MCGRs were recorded and analyzed. The 24-item Early-Onset Scoliosis Questionnaire (EOSQ-24) was used to evaluate the patients’ quality of life and satisfaction with the treatment. Results: Implant-related complications requiring instrumentation revision were recorded in 26% of the patients. Medical complications occurred in 45% of the population. The EOSQ-24 revealed a significant improvement in the average scores during the follow-up. Conclusions: The treatment of early-onset scoliosis with MCGRs carries 66% risks of incurring medical and mechanical complications, the latter 26% of patients requiring revision procedures. Children with neuromuscular scoliosis, females, and with curvature greater than 90 degrees are at a higher risk of developing complications. Limiting the number of elective surgeries necessitated to prolong the instrumentation and treatment process for patients with MCGRs can greatly enhance their quality of life and satisfaction throughout the follow-up period.

The mutuality account of parenthood: a subjective approach to parent-child relationships.

Stimulated by development of reproductive technologies, many current bioethical accounts of parenthood focus on defining parenthood at or around birth. They tend to exclude from their scope some parent-child relationships that develop later in a child's life. In reality, a parent-child relationship can emerge or dissolve over time: the parents of person A as an adolescent or adult may be different to her parents when she is a young child. To address this aspect of parenthood, we propose a new 'mutuality account' of parenthood, grounded in the concept of ontological security. We argue that in most cases a parent-child relationship exists if there is mutual ontological security between the parent and child. We suggest that this mutual ontological security is constituted and sustained by shared frameworks of reality and cohesive personal narratives. Our intention is to broaden the conceptual understanding of parenthood, to include parent-child relationships that do not fall neatly into current bioethical accounts, and to argue against the notion that objective physiological, causal, or social ties are necessary to 'make' a parent.

The Influence of Feeding Practice on the Risk of Stunting in Toddler: A Scoping Review

Child stunting is a serious case that is difficult to overcome because it is caused by poor food quality and the amount of food that does not meet the body's needs during the first two years of life. The purpose of this study is to review the influence of feeding practices and feeding methods on the risk of stunting in children under five. PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines are used to identify key concepts and knowledge gaps. This scoping review used a five-step framework approach. The databases used were PubMed, Wiley Online Library, ScienceDirect, and EBSCO. Manual searches used the Research Rabbit search engine. Based on the search results of 979 articles, ten articles were found that matched the inclusion criteria. Out of the seven themes found, four were in line with WHO's complementary feeding indicators, namely Minimum Meal Frequency (MMF), Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD), Minimum Acceptable Diet (MAD), and Introduction of Solid, Semi-Solid or Soft Foods (ISSSF). While the other three themes are a time of first feeding, breastfeeding practices, and feeding methods. Overall, inadequate feeding practices result in child malnutrition, including stunting. Improper nutrition and care during the first 1000 days of birth is detrimental to a child's life, both in the short and long term as malnutrition that occurs at this early stage of life has serious and irreversible consequences. Large-scale studies are recommended to explore the role of IYCF in reducing stunting and qualitative studies to determine barriers and drivers to improve infant and young child feeding practices.

Introduction to the Special Issue: The Lives (and Futures) of Black Children and Youth

Introduction to the Special Issue: The Lives (and Futures) of Black Children and Youth

Oral health and related outcomes in children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis: a scoping review.

Good oral health is important for children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis (CF). The purpose of this scoping review is to describe the existing evidence base regarding oral health in children and adolescents with CF and provide recommendations for future research. Using a scoping review framework, a comprehensive search was undertaken using medline, embase, and PubMed. The search strategy included broad terms relating to CF, oral health, and children and adolescents and included only papers written in English. 61 articles were included. Topics investigated included dental caries, enamel defects, periodontal health, dental staining, oral health related quality of life, dental management, and dental development of children and adolescents with CF. Dental outcomes of children and adolescents with CF differ from the healthy population. The current literature describing dental health in children and adolescents with CF includes predominately descriptive analyses. A shift to hypothesis-based studies to explore causal relationships that explain the differences in dental outcomes seen in the CF population offers an opportunity to better understand the problems faced by children and adolescents with CF. Research that actively engages stakeholders, including children and adolescents with CF and their families will enable evidence-based recommendations to improve their oral health.

Epidemiological characteristics of fatal drowning and related factors in children in Zhejiang Province, 2022

Objective: To understand the epidemiological characteristics of fatal drowning in children in Zhejiang Province in 2022, analyze factors such as the swimming ability of children, the caregiver behavior at drowning site, types of first aid personnel and methods of first aid of unintentional fatal drowning and provide evidence for targeted intervention. Methods: Using the "Survey Form of Fatal Drowning Case in Children" designed by National Center for Chronic and Non-communicable Disease Control and Prevention of the China CDC, we collected case information of children aged 0-17 years who died due to drowning in Zhejiang in 2022 from medical history/death investigation records, telephone interviews, and home visits. Results: A total of 341 fatal drowning cases in children occurred in Zhejiang in 2022 and 330 cases were investigated (96.77%). The male to female of the cases was 2.33∶1, most cases were aged 15-17 years and 0-4 years, and 54.24% of fatal drowning cases occurred in children from other provinces. In the drowning cases, 83.33% were unintentional ones, and the proportion of intentional fatal drowning cases in children increased with age. Fatal drowning cases mainly occurred in open natural water bodies and public water storage facilities. More fatal drowning cases occurred in open natural water bodies in older children, while more fatal drowning cases occurred in public water storage facilities in younger children. In 275 children who died due to unintentional drowning, 73.09% could not swim, and only 1.09% were fully supervised by adults within an arm's length. First aid personnel, mainly medical staffs, bystanders and adult caregivers, were present for 47.63% fatal drowning cases. The proportion of the cases who had cardiopulmonary resuscitation as the first aid within 5 minutes was 2.18%. Conclusions: Drowning poses a serious threat to children's lives and there are differences in reasons and locations of fatal drowning in children in different age groups in Zhejiang Province in 2022. It is necessary to conduct to interventions to improve children's swimming skills, strengthen effective adult care and conduct health education about field first aid of drowning to reduce the incidence of drowning and related deaths in children.

Adverse childhood experiences of Korean mothers with young children: a latent class analysis

ABSTRACT Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have negative impacts on women with children, including psychosocial and general health problems. However, there is limited research investigating ACEs identifying the characteristics of distinct subgroups according to the frequency of ACEs. Objective: Utilizing the national dataset of the Family with Children Life Experience 2017, this study aimed to classify patterns of ACEs based on the total number of types of ACEs and the types of predominant events, and to examine differences in general and psychological characteristics, as well as experiences of violence in adulthood among the classes identified. Method: A total of 460 Korean mothers raising infants or toddlers participated. Latent class analysis was performed to classify the patterns of ACEs, while t-tests and Chi-square tests were used to examine differences in general and psychological characteristics and experiences of violence between the ACEs subgroups. Results: The participants were classified into two subgroups: the ‘high-ACEs group’ and the ‘low-ACEs group’. The high-ACEs group exhibited higher rates of child abuse, workplace violence perpetration and victimization, as well as lower self-esteem, higher depression levels, and increased suicidal thoughts compared to those of the low-ACEs group. Conclusion: The findings highlight the significant role of ACEs on the formation of an individual’s psychological characteristics and their propensity to experience additional violence even into adulthood, as perpetrators and as victims. It is noteworthy how the influence of ACEs extends across generations through child abuse. These findings offer insights for developing interventions aimed at mitigating the negative effects of experiences of violence on mothers raising young children.

Telemedicine in Improving Glycemic Control Among Children and Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is the most common chronic autoimmune disease among children and adolescents. Telemedicine has been widely used in the field of chronic disease management and can benefit patients with T1DM. However, existing studies lack high-level evidence related to the effectiveness of telemedicine for glycemic control in children and adolescents with T1DM. This study aims to systematically review the evidence on the effectiveness of telemedicine interventions compared with usual care on glycemic control among children and adolescents with T1DM. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science (all databases), and CINAHL Complete from database inception to May 2023. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated the effectiveness of a telemedicine intervention on glycemic control in children and adolescents with T1DM. In total, 2 independent reviewers performed the study selection and data extraction. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool. Our primary outcome was glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels. Secondary outcomes were quality of life, self-monitoring of blood glucose, the incidence of hypoglycemia, and cost-effectiveness. A random-effects model was used for this meta-analysis. Overall, 20 RCTs (1704 participants from 12 countries) were included in the meta-analysis. Only 5% (1/20) of the studies were at high risk of bias. Compared to usual care, telemedicine was found to reduce HbA1c levels by 0.22 (95% CI -0.33 to -0.10; P<.001; I2=35%). There was an improvement in self-monitoring of blood glucose (mean difference [MD] 0.54, 95% CI -0.72 to 1.80; P=.40; I2=67.8%) and the incidence of hypoglycemia (MD -0.15, 95% CI -0.57 to 0.27; P=.49; I2=70.7%), although this was not statistically significant. Moreover, telemedicine had no convincing effect on the Diabetes Quality of Life for Youth score (impact of diabetes: P=.59; worries about diabetes: P=.71; satisfaction with diabetes: P=.68), but there was a statistically significant improvement in non-youth-specific quality of life (MD -0.24, 95% CI -0.45 to -0.02; P=.04; I2=0%). Subgroup analyses revealed that the effect of telemedicine on HbA1c levels appeared to be greater in studies involving children (MD -0.41, 95% CI -0.62 to -0.20; P<.001), studies that lasted <6 months (MD -0.32, 95% CI -0.48 to -0.17; P<.001), studies where providers used smartphone apps to communicate with patients (MD -0.37, 95% CI -0.53 to -0.21; P<.001), and studies with medication dose adjustment (MD -0.25, 95% CI -0.37 to -0.12; P<.001). Telemedicine can reduce HbA1c levels and improve quality of life in children and adolescents with T1DM. Telemedicine should be regarded as a useful supplement to usual care to control HbA1c levels and a potentially cost-effective mode. Meanwhile, researchers should develop higher-quality RCTs using large samples that focus on hard clinical outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and quality of life.

Adolescent offenders' experiences of father involvement in a South African context

AbstractObjectiveThe study's aim was to explore and describe adolescent offenders' experiences of their fathers' involvement before and during their own incarceration in a South African context.BackgroundResearch on father involvement is focused predominantly on adult offenders' experiences of father involvement without emphasis on adolescents' experiences regarding father involvement, including in a South African context.MethodsA qualitative explorative‐descriptive research design was employed. A nonprobability, purposive sampling technique was used, and the sample size was determined through data saturation. The sample included nine male adolescents between the ages of 17 and 19 years from a correctional center in Pretoria, South Africa. Semistructured individual interviews and drawings made by participants were used as the data collection methods and data were analyzed thematically.ResultsTwo main themes with subthemes were identified: Experiences of father absence before and/or during incarceration and desires for and suggestions to improve father involvement.ConclusionThe findings are primarily indicative of the general lack of father involvement and fatherly support experienced by participants.ImplicationsThe findings highlight the need for adolescent offenders to have access to counseling or therapy and intervention programs suitable for juvenile correctional centers focusing specifically on providing young, incarcerated, male adolescents with paternal role models that can help foster a sense of ethical and moral guidance and provision of different forms of support. Father intervention programs including men's talks, motivational speaking, and psychoeducational programs to advise fathers on how to be more involved in their children's lives are recommended.

Autism spectrum: parents’ perspectives reflecting the different needs of different families

BackgroundParents of children on the autism spectrum often face great challenges in the care of their child. Early support tailored to families’ individual needs is therefore crucial for the development and quality of life of both children on the autism spectrum and their families. However, to date it is unclear whether the support available meets the parents’ needs.Study AimTo investigate how the system of care, support, and therapies for children on the autism spectrum is perceived by their parents.MethodA total of 57 parents of Swiss children on the autism spectrum participated in an online survey, and 20 of them participated in additional semi-structured interviews.ResultsWe found that parents of children on the autism spectrum may face substantial challenges and that social support is essential. Two thirds of the participating parents reported a long and difficult diagnostic process as challenging, and 60% expressed their need for closer follow-up after diagnosis and more support. Only one third of the parents stated that they manage their everyday lives well, whereas 17.5% felt exhausted, and more than half of the parents responded that they felt challenged. One fifth indicated that they had poor family support, and half reported substantial financial challenges. At the same time, most families also emphasize how important their neurodivergent children are to the family`s life together.ConclusionIt is important that primary pediatricians not only initiate the diagnostic process, but also assess the different needs of the different family independent of the diagnosis and, if necessary, initiate adequate measures or guide parents to institutions in charge. Parents who do not actively express their individual needs should nevertheless be advised about support services, including financial counseling. The positive aspects mentioned by families can be emphasized and used as resources to improve their quality of life.