Child Protective Custody Placement for Children with Developmental Disorders.
Jennifer E Lapin, Sarah J Beal, Ryan E Adams and 3 others
PMID 35943374WHAT IT FOUND
Children with developmental disorders in foster care are less likely to be placed with relatives and more likely to end up in group homes or foster settings.
They also stay in protective custody for significantly longer than peers without these disorders, though the number of placement moves is similar.
Key findings
01Children with a developmental disorder diagnosis were approximately 20% less likely to experience kinship care placement compared to children without such a diagnosis.
02Having a developmental disorder diagnosis was significantly associated with longer lengths of stay in protective custody (mean 1087 days versus 887 days).
03Children with language disorders were specifically less likely to be in kinship care and more likely to be in congregate care compared to other children with developmental disorders.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study only included children aged 5 and older, excluding preschool-aged children who make up a large portion of the foster care population. Diagnoses were based on EHR problem lists and encounter codes rather than validated testing, which may lead to under- or over-recognition of specific disorders. The study was conducted in a single county in Ohio, which may limit generalizability to other regions. Race and ethnicity data were limited in the EHR, preventing a fine-grained analysis of specific racial or ethnic groups.
Declared interests
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that children with developmental disorders experience more frequent placement moves than their peers. The study found that while they stay in care longer, the number of placement changes was not significantly different once length of stay was accounted for. The primary concern is the type of placement (less kinship, more congregate) and the duration of custody.