Improving Equitable Access to Disability Services and Support for Children With Neurodevelopmental Disabilities: Service Provider and Decision-Maker Perspectives.
Patricia Basualto, Angela M Senevirathna, Ashish Seth and 2 others
PMID 41457809WHAT IT FOUND
Service providers and decision-makers in British Columbia identified diagnosis-based funding as a major barrier, leaving children with functional needs but no eligible diagnosis without support.
They recommended shifting to functional eligibility criteria and securing long-term case managers to navigate the fragmented system.
Key findings
01Participants identified diagnosis-based policy as a barrier because children with functional needs who lack a specific eligible diagnosis cannot access services or funding.
02Overloaded case managers were described as a barrier to access, with high caseloads preventing workers from building the relationships needed to support families effectively.
03Recommendations included shifting to functional eligibility criteria and securing long-term case management roles to improve system navigation and equity.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study included only 16 participants, which may not represent the perspectives of all service providers and decision-makers in British Columbia. Participants were primarily from Children and Youth with Support Needs (CYSN) and Nursing Support Services (NSS), with less representation from Ministry of Education and Child Care (MEdC) staff. Findings are specific to the British Columbia system and may not apply to other jurisdictions with different policy structures. The perspectives of families and children were not included in this study, limiting the view to provider and decision-maker experiences.
Declared interests
The study was funded by Kids Brain Health Network, the Canadian Institute for Health Research, and the Sinneave Family Foundation. The authors declared no conflicts of interest, and the funders had no role in study design, data collection, analysis, or manuscript preparation.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these recommendations as evidence that functional eligibility criteria have been implemented or tested in British Columbia. These are the opinions of a small group of providers and decision-makers, not a report of an evaluated policy change.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →