Parent's Perceptions of the Family Impacts of COVID‐19 Lockdowns on Themselves and Siblings of Children With Developmental Disabilities: ‘No Time to Breathe’

ABSTRACT Family members may be impacted by complex care requirements around childhood disability, although little research provides guidance on the changing needs of families under unexpected circumstances. This study investigated parents' experiences and reports of the impact of COVID‐19 lockdowns in Australia on family members in families raising a child with a disability and at least one other child. This study focused on parents' perspectives of their own, their child without disability and overall family experiences. This mixed‐methods study included measures of the impact on siblings, parent distress and four open‐ended questions about family impacts, from parents' perspectives. Thematic analysis guided qualitative data analysis. Eighty parents/carers participated. Parents/caregivers reported high distress and that siblings increased their participation in direct caregiving and household tasks but received minimal educational support. Findings revealed challenging impacts on all family members, changes to relationships within the family and impacts on family functioning. Overall, COVID‐19 lockdowns impacted family ecology and well‐being for parents and siblings. This study recommends that families raising children with disabilities and other children need more support and individualized accommodations for each family member, especially siblings, when the family is impacted by extreme service disruption and multi‐system changes as occurred over the COVID‐19 pandemic lockdowns.