# Parental Concerns and Active Participation in Home-Based Vojta Therapy for Children with Global Developmental Delay: A Qualitative Study Using Interviews and Photo-Elicitation

## TL;DR

Parents of children with global developmental delay found home-based Vojta therapy beneficial for bonding and child improvement, despite initial concerns.

## Contribution

This study explores parental experiences with home-based Vojta therapy for children with global developmental delay, highlighting bonding and adherence.

## Key findings

- Parents felt home-based Vojta therapy strengthened emotional bonds with their children.
- Parents perceived motor and functional improvements in their children through the therapy.
- Despite initial concerns, parents found the therapy sustainable and beneficial with proper support.

## Abstract

What are the main findings?
Parents reported that home-based Vojta therapy facilitated parent–child affiliative bonding.Parents in this study indicated that adherence to HBP-delivered VT was perceived as beneficial and sustainable despite their initial concerns.

Parents reported that home-based Vojta therapy facilitated parent–child affiliative bonding.

Parents in this study indicated that adherence to HBP-delivered VT was perceived as beneficial and sustainable despite their initial concerns.

What are the implications of the main findings?
Given appropriate information and resources, more parents of GDD children would choose to administer home-based Vojta therapy.

Given appropriate information and resources, more parents of GDD children would choose to administer home-based Vojta therapy.

Introduction: Parents of children presenting global developmental delay (GDD) need to be involved in their therapy to intensify treatment. Vojta therapy (VT) is an intensive physiotherapeutic treatment that can be administered at home. Whilst parental experience of Home-Based Program (HBP) for preterm or cerebral palsy is well documented, there is a lack of understanding about parents of GDD children on HBP with VT. Objectives: The aim of this work was to describe parents’ perspectives concerning their participation in, concerns with, and perception of the results of an HBP with VT. Methods: A qualitative case design based on an interpretative approach was presented. A purposeful sampling was used. Data was collected in two stages: firstly, semi-structured interviews, and secondly, photo-elicitation. An inductive thematic analysis was used. Results: Seventeen parents were included. Three themes emerged from parents’ perspectives. Firstly, parents’ active participation in VT, which includes their desire to become an active agent to contribute to their child’s improvement, their implication of compromise, learning process, time required, effort, and factors that influence their adherence and continuity. Secondly, parents’ perception of the results achieved: motor improvement and better resting, feeding, and breathing; and time and commitment required to achieve them. Thirdly, parents’ initial concerns about suitability, daily implementation, therapy functioning, or evidence, as well as concerns about emotional bonds. Conclusions: Parents universally perceive that their commitment and efforts were rewarded. They recognized that the emotional bond with their child was strengthened by the therapy. The results regarding the beneficial effects perceived by the parents should be treated with caution, as no instruments for assessing the effect or efficacy were used in this study.