Previously submitted to: JMIR Research Protocols (no longer under consideration since Mar 18, 2026)
Date Submitted: May 27, 2025
Open Peer Review Period: Jun 5, 2025 - Jul 31, 2025
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Occupational therapy-related support programs for parents of children with special needs: A scoping review protocol
Background:
Background: Parents of children with developmental disabilities experience increased caregiving demands, emotional strain, and reduced participation in meaningful activities. Occupational therapy (OT) has a tradition of family-centered practice, yet the literature lacks a comprehensive synthesis of OT-related support programs specifically designed for parents.
Objective:
Objectives: To systematically map and describe occupational therapy–related support programs for parents of children with special needs (aged 3–15 years), characterizing program types, delivery methods, leadership, theoretical frameworks, outcomes, and gaps in the literature
Methods:
Methods: A scoping review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology. A three-phase search strategy (preliminary, comprehensive database searches, and citation chasing) will be applied to PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, CINAHL, Embase, Web of Science and additional sources. Studies published in English between 2000 and 2024 that evaluate OT-related parent-support programs will be included. Data will be charted via a customized extraction form and synthesized narratively and in tables.
Results:
Results: Protocol registration was completed (OSF, Nov 21, 2024). Preliminary searches in PubMed and Scopus have been completed to develop keywords and index terms. The full database searches and title/abstract screening are in preparation. Expected outputs include a descriptive map of program types, settings, leadership models, theoretical frameworks, and identified gaps to guide future research.
Conclusions:
Conclusions: This scoping review will provide a comprehensive overview of occupational therapy–related parent support programs, informs clinicians and policymakers about effective program components and delivery strategies, and highlights priority areas for future empirical work.
ClinicalTrial:
Citation
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