“Demanding, but Worth It” - The Parental Experience of Home-Based Vojta Therapy for Children Presenting Global Developmental Delay - A Qualitative Study Using Photo-Elicitation

Sep 30, 2026

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Introducing a demanding home-based program of Vojta therapy (VT) into daily routines is a life-altering event for parents of children with global developmental delay (GDD). This qualitative multicentre case study documents parental experiences of delivering a home-based VT program. Ten parents participated in interviews using photo-elicitation, followed by inductive thematic analysis. Four experiential themes emerged, including crying as a key barrier, intense emotional impact, perceived worth through observed developmental gains, and hope grounded in therapy effects. Findings highlight significant physical, emotional, and time demands and inform professional program design with training and support.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Abstract

Background/Objectives

Methods

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Article “Demanding, but Worth It”: The Parental Experience of Home-Based Vojta Therapy for Children Presenting Global Developmental Delay—A Qualitative Study Using Photo-Elicitation Ana San-Martín-Gómez 1, Roberto Cano-de-la-Cuerda 2, *, Carmen Jiménez-Antona 1, *, Livia Gomes Viana-Meireles 3, María Salcedo-Perez-Juana 1, Jorge Pérez-Corrales 1 and Domingo Palacios-Ceña 1 Academic Editor: Jacques Pierre Tremblay Received: 28 November 2025 Revised: 14 December 2025 Accepted: 19 December 2025 Published: 21 December 2025 Copyright: © 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. 1 Research Group of Humanities and Qualitative Research in Health Science (Hum & QRinHS), Department of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28922 Madrid, Spain; [ana.sanmartin@urjc.es](ana.sanmartin@urjc.es) (A.S.-M.-G.); [maria.perezjuana@urjc.es](maria.perezjuana@urjc.es) (M.S.-P.-J.); [jorge.perez@urjc.es](jorge.perez@urjc.es) (J.P.-C.); [domingo.palacios@urjc.es](domingo.palacios@urjc.es) (D.P.-C.) 2 Research Group Laboratory of Movement Analysis, Biomechanics, Ergonomics and Motor Control (LAMBECOM), Department of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28922 Madrid, Spain 3 Instituto de Educação Física e Esportes, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Ceará 60455-760, Brazil; [liviagviana@ufc.br](liviagviana@ufc.br) * Correspondence: [roberto.cano@urjc.es](roberto.cano@urjc.es) (R.C.-d.-l.-C.); [carmen.jimenez@urjc.es](carmen.jimenez@urjc.es) (C.J.-A.) Abstract Background/Objectives: Introducing a demanding home-based program (HBP) of Vojta therapy (VT) into their daily activities is a life-altering event for parents of children with global developmental delay (GDD) . This study aims to document the experiences of parents of children with GDD administering a HBP of VT. Methods: A multicentre study with a qualitative case design based on an interpretative approach is presented. Interviews were conducted with 10 parents using photo-elicitation (PE) . Inductive and thematic analyses were used. Results: Four common experiential themes were identified. Firstly, crying was identified as the most significant barrier to administering therapy (despite parents accepting that crying was not pain-related) . Secondly, parents described the intense and variable emotional impact of being responsible for the therapy and its effects on their child. Thirdly, parents unanimously felt that their involvement was worthwhile, with the developmental results they perceived outweighing the emotional, physical and time demands of administering the VT. Finally, parents developed a narrative of hope stemming from the therapy and its observed effects. Conclusions: The physical, emotional and time demands on parents when administering a HBP of VT are very significant. The main barriers to adherence to the program are identified as the child’s crying during therapy and time management. Intense emotional experiences, both positive and negative, arise while administering a HBP of VT. Parents are not only able to overcome all emotional and logistical challenges when they recognize improvements in their child, but they also begin to hope for further improvement. Implications for the professional design of HBPs of VT include the following: advanced warning that crying is normal, part of the therapy and not pain-related; training and ongoing support from a qualified therapist; training in recognising developmental improvement; and psychological support to deal with the emotional journey. Keywords: home-based; developmental delay; emotion; Vojta therapy; parents; caregiversinvolvement; qualitative research; photo-elicitation; children disabilities 1. Introduction Global Developmen

FAQs

What was the study’s main objective?

To document parents’ experiences when administering a home-based program of Vojta therapy (VT) for children presenting global developmental delay (GDD).

How were parents’ experiences collected and analyzed?

The study used qualitative case design with interviews from 10 parents, employing photo-elicitation. Inductive and thematic analyses were then conducted.

What were the key barriers and emotional impacts reported by parents?

Crying during therapy was identified as the most significant barrier, even though parents accepted it was not pain-related. Parents also described intense emotional effects from responsibility for therapy and its impact on their child.

Sep 30, 2026

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