COVID-19 Vaccines for Children with Developmental Disabilities: Survey of New York State Parents' Willingness and Concerns.
Karen Bonuck, Suzannah Iadarola, Qi Gao and 1 others
PMID 36067424WHAT IT FOUND
Most parents of children with developmental disabilities were willing to vaccinate their children against COVID-19, especially for adolescents.
Willingness dropped for younger children and among Black and Hispanic parents. Key concerns were side effects, exclusion from trials, and impacts on development.
Key findings
01Overall, 57% of parents reported their child had already received or would get the vaccine as soon as possible.
02Willingness was highest for adolescents (73.9%) and lowest for children aged 5 or younger (36.0%).
03Among parents not highly willing to vaccinate, the top concerns were side effects (88.7%) and the exclusion of children with disabilities from clinical trials (80.0%).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study used a convenience sample recruited through disability networks, which may bias results toward families already connected to these services. Participants self-selected into the survey, so those with strong opinions about vaccination may be overrepresented. The survey was web-based, potentially excluding parents who lack internet access or digital literacy. Findings are specific to New York State and may not generalize to other regions with different vaccination rates or demographics.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that high overall willingness applies equally across all ages or racial groups. Willingness was significantly lower for children under 6 and among Black and Hispanic parents, indicating that these subgroups may need targeted support and information.