Children & youth

Children and young people can have a wide range of life limiting conditions and may sometimes live with such conditions for many years.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) require substantial support to address the core symptoms of ASD and co-occurring behavioral/developmental conditions. This study explores the early diagnostic experiences of school-aged children with ASD using survey data from a large probability-based national sample. Multivariate linear regressions were used to examine age when parent reported developmental concern to doctor, received ASD diagnosis, and first obtained services.

In recent decades, there has been a shift from hospitalisation to home care throughout the Western world, even for children. Hospital‐at‐home for children is in a developmental phase and represents a new service model in Norway. The aim of this pilot study conducted in a Norwegian healthcare setting was to explore how parents with a sick child experienced early hospital discharge and further care at home. The qualitative data are drawn from nine interviews with parents with a child admitted to hospital‐at‐home.

Darling et al discusses the UK's Children and Families Act 2014, Section 96 which defines a young carer as a person under 18 who provides or intends to provide care for another person. A survey in 2018 asking 925 children in England to outline if they provide care, and to describe the care provided and to whom, reveals the extent of caring by children is much higher than previous estimates.