Conceptualization, use, and outcomes associated with compassion in the care of youth with childhood-onset disabilities: a scoping review.
We have no shared definition of compassion for disabled youth, so begin by asking them what kindness looks like.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Patsakos and her team looked at every paper they could find on compassion for kids with early-onset disabilities. They wanted to know how researchers define compassion and what it does for youth and families.
They pulled studies from many fields, not just ABA. The review spans decades and includes any child with a disability label.
What they found
Almost no study asks disabled youth what compassion means to them. The idea is still blank.
Parent studies do exist. When moms and dads practice self-compassion, they feel less stress and cope better.
How this fits with other research
Friedman et al. (2024) already trained 24 BCBAs in self-compassion and saw scores rise. Their work shows the training is doable once we decide what to teach.
Ferron et al. (2023) and Riebel et al. (2025) found self-compassion lowers anxiety and depression in autistic adults. These adult studies seem to clash with the youth gap, but the gap is about age, not the concept. No one has simply tried it with kids yet.
Matson et al. (1989) and Lydon et al. (2015) counted hundreds of punishment studies for developmental disabilities. The field spent decades refining aversive procedures while barely defining kind ones. The new review flips the lens from control to care.
Why it matters
You can’t teach what you can’t define. Start small: ask your client what a kind helper does. Write the answers in plain words and use them in session. Share the list with the team so everyone’s compassion looks the same.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
To examine the scope of existing literature on the conceptualization, use, and outcomes associated with compassion in the care of youth with childhood-onset disabilities. A protocol was developed based on the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) scoping review method. MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and EBSCOhost CINAHL, were searched. Eight studies were selected for inclusion; four used quantitative methodology, and four used qualitative methods. Compassion was not defined a priori or a posteriori in any of the included studies. The concept of self-compassion was explicitly defined only for parents of youth with childhood-onset disabilities in three studies a priori. The most reported outcome measure was self-compassion in parents of youth with childhood-onset disabilities. Self-compassion among parents was associated with greater quality of life and resiliency and lower stress, depression, shame and guilt. There is limited evidence on the conceptualization, use, and outcomes associated with compassion among youth with childhood-onset disabilities. Self-compassion may be an effective internal coping process among parents of youth with childhood-onset disabilities. Further research is required to understand the meaning of compassion to youth with childhood-onset disabilities, their parents and caregivers. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/2GRB4.
Frontiers in Psychology, 2024 · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1365205