Challenges and reflections on ethical review of rehabilitation research for children with disabilities
MENG Lijun
Abstract：Objective To explore the legitimacy and particularity of conducting rehabilitation research for children with disabilities,and analyze the core cruxes in the ethical review of such children's participation in rehabilitation research proj-ects.Methods From the theoretical perspectives of policies and regulations as well as the basic principles of medical ethics,the legitimacy and necessity of children with disabilities participating in rehabilitation research were clarified.Based on the particularities of children with disabilities in terms of physiological characteristics,psychological traits and cognitive abilities,the core challenges in the ethical review of rehabilitation research for this group were systematically sorted out,including inadequate assessment and prevention of research risks,difficulties in informed consent decision-making,neglect of children's subjectivity,lack of safeguards for special groups and hidden risks in the research implementation process.Targeted analyses were then conducted in combination with the key points of ethical review.Results Rehabilitation research for children with disabilities aligns with the demand for safeguarding the health rights and interests of special groups and thus has sufficient legitimacy.However,the particularities of children with dis-abilities in cognitive abilities,independent decision-making and rights protection expose the ethical review of such research to numerous core challenges,which call for corresponding countermeasures.Conclusion The ethical review of rehabilitation research for children with disabilities must fully balance research legiti-macy with the particularities of participants.It is necessary to unify research scientificity with ethical rationality and promote the standardized and orderly development of research in this field through multiple measures:im-proving the institutional system of ethical review and strengthening top-level design;focusing on core challenges such as establishing a research risk assessment and prevention mechanism,optimizing the mechanisms for in-formed consent and the protection of children with disabilities'subjectivity,and enhancing the prevention of hid-den risks and the construction of research teams;and raising the capacity of ethical review and strengthening the supervision of the research process.
Keywords：children with disabilitiesrehabilitation researchethical reviewinformed consentrisk assessment
Publication Date：2026-02-25
Online Publishing Date：2026-03-18(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：9( 142-150 )