Robyn Schelp hasnât felt safe taking her son Nathan to a clinic since March. The 13-year-old has an unknown genetic disorder, which Schelp said causes a variety of health complications.
âThereâs just no way we can create physical therapy at home, so he is not getting his physical therapy right now,â she said.
Parents have long had to adapt to meet the needs of children who have disabilities. Since the beginning of the pandemic, access to critical therapies for children have become even more tenuous.
Many clinics offering speech, music, physical and occupational therapy shut down in-person operations at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Missouriâs First Steps program, which helps to support children with developmental delays and disabilities, saw its referral rate go down 25% in March and 39% in April, according to the programâs records.