Browsing by Author "EL HARIRY, YOMNA"

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    Attitudes of Parents of Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities towards Diagnosis and Intervention in Dubai and its Implication on Education
    (The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2017-03) EL HARIRY, YOMNA
    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.