"Something is Wrong with My Child": A Phenomenological Account of a Search for a Diagnosis

Abstract

Children with movement difficulties, sometimes referred to as ‘clumsy', have poor coordination and secondary problems of low fitness, poor self-esteem and rejection by peers. It is important that a diagnosis be reached as early as possible so that intervention can minimize the likelihood of these problems developing. Eleven parents of children with movement difficulties were interviewed about their experiences in trying to achieve a diagnosis for their child who had symptoms of emotional distress, but lacked hard neurological signs. A phenomenological analysis provided a rich description of these experiences. This analysis led to the conceptualization of the search for a diagnosis as a journey, which became a positive or negative experience for the parent. The analysis provides data which suggest ways in which the identification of movement difficulties might be expedited.