Attitudes of Parents of Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities towards Diagnosis and Intervention in Dubai and its Implication on Education
Loading...
Date
2017-03
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The British University in Dubai (BUiD)
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify the attitudes of parents of children with Special
Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) towards diagnosis and intervention in Dubai.
It aimed to explore the relationship between these attitudes and its effect on the academic
performance of children with SEND. A mixed-methods approach was utilized that
centered on a questionnaire-based survey as well as interviews with class teachers,
SENCOs, learning support staff, school counselor and head of SEN department of a
Dubai-based private school.
Mostly positive attitudes towards services provided from the diagnostic centers were
depicted, including therapies and various intervention tools. Two main themes stood out
during data analysis; the first focused on the financial strains parents had to endure in
order to receive a diagnosis for their child followed by therapies and interventions, and
the second focused on anxiety with regards to their children’s future after they graduate
from school and fear of the unknown.
Interviews conducted mainly focused on the implication of parents’ attitudes towards
their children’s future in education. Participants from the educational field shared their
thoughts and experiences, and all of them stressed the importance of early diagnosis and
intervention in order to ensure the best possible social, emotional, and intellectual
development of the child. The main themes that stood out from these interviews also
included the financial pressure that most parents suffered in order to diagnose their
children and provide therapies and intervention as well as the reliability of diagnostic
reports received from accredited and authorized diagnostic centers and clinics.
Description
Keywords
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities(SEND), academic performance, intellectual development, intervention, Dubai