Self‐Care in Children and Young People With and Without Developmental Disabilities—A Systematic Review

Background Looking after oneself (e.g., eating, keeping clean) and making decisions about how this is done (‘self‐care’) is a key health outcome for children with a developmental disability, but guidelines are limited and support for children and families is variable. This systematic review investigated (1) factors influencing self‐care in children and young people and (2) interventions that support self‐care in children and young people with developmental disabilities. Methods Following PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive electronic search of Medline (via Ovid) and CINAHL (via EBSCO) (2007–2024) was carried out. The protocol for this study was registered in PROSPERO. Studies and systematic reviews where self‐care was the main outcome were selected. Data were extracted on participant and intervention characteristics, self‐care outcomes and explanatory factors. Results Of the 16 586 studies screened, 115 were included (10 RCTs, 4 qualitative, 101 observational). These involved 14 590 participants, the individual study sample sizes ranging from 1 to 818 (median 64). The largest two studies ( n = 818 each) were in children with cerebral palsy. Movement functions were the most frequently studied explanatory factor and showed consistent association with self‐care, as did cognitive and executive function. Pain was investigated in two studies and sensory processing in one study, and both were consistently associated with self‐care. Of personal and environmental factors investigated, age, socio‐economic status, physical environment, accessibility and caregiver characteristics were associated with self‐care. Interventions showing promise to improve self‐care in those with developmental disabilities included adaptive seating, goal‐setting training, motor skills training, educational programmes for primary caregivers and constrained‐induced movement therapy. Overall, evidence about effectiveness is limited, and research has focused on children with cerebral palsy. Limitations Meta‐analysis was not possible because of study heterogeneity. Conclusions The importance of movement and cognitive functions in self‐care is well‐established. Personal and environmental factors and intervention effectiveness require further research.