Concerns of Families of Children with Learning Disabilities

Abstract

The purpose of this report is to share the experiences and concerns of a group of parents of children with learning disabilities. Parents of eight different families were interviewed in depth, and seven themes emerged from the interviews. Parents discussed their involvement in their child's education, and their positive and negative experiences with school personnel as well as with seeking other sources of support. They expressed concerns about the social isolation and future well-being of their children with learning disabilities. They indicated many emotional strains from parenting children with learning disabilities, and that there are both positive and negative effects on the families. Implications for further research and practice are discussed.

Learning Disabilities, Juvenile Delinquency and the Family: The Role of “Intensive Parenting”

“…This may be said about all parents and their children, but the complexities of raising a child with even a mild learning disability appear to extend beyond the expectations and demands of average parenting. Parents in this study reported additional stress in the home due to the learning disability, and this is consistent with existing literature (Dyson, 1996;Green, 1992;Johnson, O'Reilly, & Vostanis, 2006;Konstantares & Homatidas, 1989;Waggoner & Wilgosh, 1990). These findings, however, add to prior work by eliciting the perspectives of individuals actually experiencing the daily stress of parenting a child with a learning disability Although for purposes of this study, "intensive" personified the type of parenting exhibited in these families, this is not to say that this cannot be linked to the styles of parenting, specifically authoritative which is the responsive type of parenting, identified in the literature for many years.…”

“…Some parents perceive themselves as always occupied (Turnbull & Ruef, 1996). These life and routine changes have been found to have significant effects on the family functioning (Marvin & Pianta, 1996;Turnbull & Turnbull, 1990;Waggoner & Wilgosh, 1990). Margalit and Heiman (1986) found that difficulties for parents with children that are disabled include difficult family relationships with lower coherence, less emphasis on the personal growth of the other family members and an emphasis on control within the family.…”

The Influence of Primary Caregivers in Fostering Success in Twice-Exceptional Children

“…Additionally, such organizations may also host and monitor a discussion forum on their websites where parents of twice-exceptional students could create a network to share stories and advice and offer support to one another. These resources and support networks could be lifelines for parents, cushioning the emotional impact that occurs when one assumes the roles of teacher and advocate for children with learning disabilities (Waggoner & Wilgosh, 1990).…”

Families of Children with Learning Disabilities

“…Sapir (1986) urged that the training of special educators include learning to "involve families in helping those with learning disabilities" (p. 473). Families of children with learning disabilities have expressed an interest both in learning more about the disorder and in learning how to help their children (Waggoner & Wilgosh, 1990;Walther, Hazel, Schumaker, Vernon, & Deshler, 1991). Certainly, parents "have fears and anxieties" and may sometimes seem angry or aggressive (Schulz, 1982, p. 19).…”