Bringing therapy home: Exploring parents' experiences of telehealth for children with developmental coordination disorder.
Aisling Bourke, Una O'Connor, Bryan Boyle and 2 others
PMID 40337195WHAT IT FOUND
Parents of children with DCD valued telehealth for its flexibility and the insight it gave them into their child's abilities.
However, they disliked taking on the therapist role and missed professional guidance. They wanted telehealth to support, not replace, face-to-face therapy.
Key findings
01Telehealth empowered parents by helping them see their child's strengths and challenges, but some felt untrained and stressed by assuming the therapist role.
02Families preferred telehealth because it fit around their schedules and allowed them to choose times when the child was most willing to engage.
03All participants agreed telehealth should not replace occupational therapists, citing a lack of equipment, space, and professional support as key limitations.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study only examined one specific asynchronous video-based programme, so findings may not apply to live video consultations. Participants were recruited by the programme creator, which may have introduced selection bias. The sample was small (8 mothers) and homogeneous, limiting generalisability. Socio-economic factors and the severity of the children's conditions were not analysed.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest and no financial support. However, the study focused on a private programme ('Octobox') created by a paediatric OT, and participants were recruited through this creator, which is a potential source of bias despite the formal declarations.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the parents' preference for telehealth as evidence that it improves motor outcomes. The study reports on the experience of using the service, not its clinical effectiveness, and participants explicitly stated it should not replace in-person therapy.