Child care and employment in relation to infants' disabilities and risk factors.

The impact of disability- and risk-related characteristics of 166 infants on their mothers' employment and child-care characteristics and decisions was investigated. Mothers' employment plans and child-care decisions were affected by their children's special needs (chronic health problems; use of adaptive equipment; total risks; diagnosis; and mental, motor, and adaptive functioning). Child-care characteristics were related most consistently to the children's diagnoses. Infants diagnosed with Down syndrome compared with those whose developmental delays were of unknown origin entered child care earlier and were more likely to be in centers and to be receiving lower quality care.