Parents of Children with Disabilities

Parents of children with disabilities can be defined as parents of children with impairments, long-term conditions and/or illness, including children with cognitive impairments and/or mental health issues. The term ‘parents/carers of children with disabilities’ is also used within policy discourse and amongst health and social care practitioners in Global North contexts. This choice of language is intended to recognise the contributions to care of the child from those who are not identified as their ‘biological’ and/or ‘legal’ parents. Note that in the U.S./Canadian context the term ‘children with disabilities’ is preferred over ‘disabled children’, which is in common usage in the United Kingdom, continental Europe, and elsewhere. This entry uses these terms interchangeably.

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