OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to assess the level of caregiver burden of Filipino parents taking care of their children with developmental disabilities and to identify other factors contributing to their burden.
METHODOLOGY: The study participants were parents of children with developmental disabilities diagnosed in the Neuro-developmental Clinic of the University of Santo Tomas Hospital. They were asked to complete a survey, which included the following: 1) General demographics questionnaire that included the ff information: number of children, family income, marital status, educational level and occupation of the parents; 2) Adaptive behavior questionnaire designed to gather specific data about the abilities of the child with the disability; 3)Family Support Scale that measures the helpfulness of sources of support for families with developmentally disabled children, which is divided into informal support that included the patients, grandparents, siblings, relatives, church and government programs and the formal support, which included the physician, teachers and therapists; 4) Caregiver Burden Scale adapted from Zarit. The data was analyzed using frequency counts and percentages. Bivariate and multivariate analysis was used to determine the association of the data. A 95% confidence level was considered significant.
RESULTS: The majority (80%) of the caregivers were mothers, with a mean age of 38 years old, high school graduates and with an annual income of more than PhP 100,000. The families had an average of 1-2 children. The mean age of the children with disabilities was 6 years, and were categorized as having Global Developmental Delay [GDD] (50%), Mental Retardation [MR] (27%), Attention- Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder [ADHD] (13%) and Autism (10%). The level of burden seen among the caregivers was moderate, which was significantly associated with the annual income, severity of the disability, and the total family support score. Multivariate analysis showed that the severity of the developmental disability was an independent factor for caregiver burden.
CONCLUSION: This study provided evidence that both fathers and mothers of children with developmental disabilities seen in the Neurodevelopmental Clinic of the University of Santo Tomas Hospital experienced similar levels of stress as parents in the Western countries as well as feelings about lack of informal social support. High level of burden was significantly associated with an increased level of disability.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Child ; Adaptation, Psychological ; Attention ; Attention Deficit Disorder With Hyperactivity ; Autistic Disorder ; Caregivers ; Developmental Disabilities ; Emotions ; Fathers ; Grandparents ; Intellectual Disability ; Marital Status ; Mothers ; Parents ; Siblings ; Social Support

PURPOSE: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder in children which persists into adulthood. Evidence suggests that the condition is etiologically related to delayed brain maturation. Detection of the presence of neurological soft signs can be a means to assess neuromaturation. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of neurological soft signs in ADHD patients and to determine any correlation between the presence of neurological soft signs with age, gender, severity, and type of ADHD which could give further insights into this disorder. METHODS: A Cross-sectional study was conducted at the Child Neurology and Developmental Pediatrics outpatient clinic which included patients 6-18 years old diagnosed with ADHD as well as healthy controls. Patients with other neurodevelopmental conditions (intellectual disability, metabolic disorder, cerebral palsy, abnormal MRI findings), or any condition that may lead to failure to complete the given tasks such as physical handicap were excluded. Neurological soft signs were measured by utilizing the Physical and Neurological Evaluation for Soft Signs (PANESS) scale. KEY FINDINGS: A total of 48 patients between 6 and 18 years of age (24 ADHD patients and 24 healthy control) were examined. Neurological soft signs were significantly higher in patients with ADHD and were present regardless of gender, type, and severity of ADHD. ADHD patients performed worse on given tasks as evidenced by higher PANESS scores. There was a weak negative correlation between neurological soft signs and age, indicating that soft sign scores decrease with increasing age. There was no statistically significant difference in neurological soft signs scores between those with medication versus without treatment, except for the dysrhythmia which was significantly higher in the drug-naive group. SIGNIFICANCE Neurological soft signs are common in patients with ADHD and add scientific evidence to the predictive value of neurological soft signs as indicators of the severity of functional impairment in ADHD. The prevalence of neurological soft signs is much higher in children with ADHD than in controls which may have the potential to improve sensitivity in the diagnosis of ADHD.

Background and objective : Neurodevelopmental disabilities in adolescents have signifi cant effects on medical and social function. One of these challenges is their transition into adult care. Parental involvement is critical because these young adults may have more diffi culties in making informed decisions independently. Thus, the transition process involves not only the direct health care needs of the young adult, but the needs and concerns of the parents or carers who are instrumental in guiding that process. This study aims to explore the expectations and experiences of family carers of youths with chronic neurodevelopmental disorders who have undergone or are about to undergo transition into adult healthcare in a Filipino-based health care system. Methods: A descriptive phenomenology was used to gain an in-depth understanding of parents’ perceptions and experiences of their youths’ transition process from a pediatric to an adult health care setting. The results were analyzed manually using Colaizzi’s method, which involves integrating both the destructured and restructured analysis principles of phenomenology. Purposive sampling was used to interview 13 family carers of 13 youths with various neurodevelopmental disorders using a semi-structured interview questionnaire. Results : Despite the lack of information on the transition process, our study found that carers did not have a strong inclination to resist the transition event. Most of the carers treat the health care provider as a major decision maker in determining the timing and manner of transition, adopting a “doctor knows best” attitude. Several other hindrances and facilitators to successful transition were also identifi ed and are similar to the current literature. Conclusion This study provides a greater understanding of carers’ perceptions and experiences of transition care for youths with neurodevelopmental disorders in the local setting. They exhibited trust and confi dence in the medical profession as a whole, and had a “doctor knows best” attitude that may enable successful transitioning.
Transitional Care ; Neurology ; Neurodevelopmental Disorders ; Caregivers

Purpose: Attention defi cit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder in children persisting into adulthood. Evidence suggests that the condition is etiologically related to delayed brain maturation. The detection of the presence of neurological soft signs can be a means to assess neuromaturation. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of neurological soft signs in ADHD patients and determine any correlation between the presence of neurological soft signs with age, gender, severity and type of ADHD which could give further insights into this disorder. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Child Neurology and Developmental Pediatrics outpatient clinic which included patients 6-18 years old diagnosed with ADHD as well as healthy controls. Patients with other neurodevelopmental conditions (intellectual disability, metabolic disorder, cerebral palsy, abnormal MRI fi ndings), or any condition that may lead to failure to complete the given tasks such as physical handicaps were excluded. Neurological soft signs were measured by utilizing the Physical and Neurological Evaluation for Soft Signs (PANESS) scale. Key Findings: A total of 48 patients between 6 and 18 years of age (24 ADHD patients and 24 healthy controls) were examined. Neurological soft signs were signifi cantly higher in patients with ADHD and were present regardless of gender, type and severity of ADHD. ADHD patients performed worse on the given tasks as evidenced by higher PANESS scores. There was a weak negative correlation between neurological soft signs and age indicating that soft sign scores decrease with increasing age. There was no statistically signifi cant difference in neurological soft sign scores between those with medication versus without treatment, except for dysrhythmia which was signifi cantly higher in the drug-naive group. Significance Neurological soft signs are common in patients with ADHD and add scientifi c evidence to the predictive value of neurological soft signs as indicators of the severity of functional impairment in ADHD. The prevalence of neurological soft signs is much higher in children with ADHD than in controls which may have the potential to improve sensitivity in the diagnosis of ADHD.
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity

Background : Caregiver burden and its impact on the quality of life is as important as determining the quality of life of children with epilepsy as these factors inl uence each other as well as the outcome of these children. Objectives : The primary objective of the study was to determine the association between caregiver burden and quality of life as well as anxiety and depressive symptoms among caregivers of Filipino children with epilepsy. Also, the study aimed to determine the prevalence rate of caregiver burden, impaired quality of life, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in an ambulatory care setting. Methodology : In this cross-sectional survey, adult caregivers accompanying their pediatric patients with epilepsy at a single tertiary center were recruited. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected. The participants completed questionnaires for caregiver burden, quality of life, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Results : Fifty-three caregivers participated with a mean age of 38 years. Most of them were females, married, unemployed, and at least college level. The mean age of their patients was 9.4 years and 71.7% of patients were on a single anti-epileptic drug. Lower educational level was less likely associated with caregiver burden. Although impaired quality of life and depressive symptoms were more likely associated with caregiver burden, this association did not reach statistical signii cance. Conclusion The prevalence rate of caregiver burden, impaired quality of life, anxiety, and depressive symptoms were 24.5%, 22.6%, 28.3%, and 9.4% respectively, among caregivers of Filipino children with epilepsy at a single tertiary center. Lower educational level was the only characteristic signii cantly associated with lesser odds of having caregiver burden
Caregiver Burden ; Quality of Life ; Anxiety ; Depression