Background: Community participation offers children opportunities to develop skills, improve their quality of life, build friendships, creatively express themselves, and establish a sense of identity and belonging. However, children with communication support needs experience reduced community participation due to barriers, including accessing communication aids, reduced community awareness of communication strategies, and increased communication breakdowns. Further research is required to explore the perspectives of families of young children with communication support needs and how their community participation can be supported.

Aims: This study explores primary carers’ lived experiences of community participation for their child with communication support needs. This presentation focuses on one aspect of the data: participant perspectives on how they understand positive/successful community participation.

Method: Semi-structured 60–90 minute interviews were conducted with primary carers online and in-person. Participants were 11 parents (10 mothers and 1 father) of 10 children aged 3–6 years with communication support needs. All parents were based in Australia and lived across metropolitan and rural areas. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, managed within NVivo. Ethical approval was granted by Charles Sturt University Human Research Ethics Committee (H23665).

Results: All participants shared experiences and stories of community participation, with some requiring prompts to recall successful and ‘positive’ ones. Emerging themes include children’s expression of fun and enjoyment, connecting through physical engagement, active facilitation by the parent, the role of routines, familiar and specialised environments, and supportive communication partners.

Conclusions: Parents of children with communication support needs are a vital part of these children’s community participation, providing support and facilitating connections. Also key were relationships and environments that proactively support participation and interaction. Understanding the stories of these families’ successful experiences provides opportunities to collaboratively work towards the right of every child and their family to positive and successful participation in the community.

Implications for children and families: You will hear how parents of children with communication support needs describe positive/successful community participation, including what these experiences mean for them and their children. Hopefully, these stories will reassure you and your therapists of what is possible and build confidence in reaching positive community participation outcomes for your child.

Implications for practitioners: Early childhood intervention therapy focuses on children’s natural environments, building functional outcomes, and increasing participation. These stories will provide insight into how barriers can be overcome so that children have positive/successful experiences in the community.

Funding: This research is part of a larger research program funded by the Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship.

Key words: community participation, young children, families’ lived experience, complex communication needs

This presentation relates to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities