Child care needs, arrangements, and satisfaction of mothers of children with developmental disabilities

Child care arrangements used by mothers of 5-year-old children with developmental disabilities were described as were the difficulties they experienced in locating that care and their satisfaction with it. Care provided by relatives was the most common arrangement; center-based care was the least common. Mothers of children who had the most severe developmental delays and who exhibited behavior problems experienced greater difficulty in locating care. The findings suggest that child care options should be increased by training providers who work in out-of-home settings and by expanding respite services to include the provision of in-home child care.