Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 University of Isfahan
2 Ph.D. Student in Psychology and education of children with special needs, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.
3 Department of Education and Psychology of Children with Special needs, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Isfahan
Abstract
Parental acceptance of a child’s disability can play a crucial role in facilitating timely intervention and the receipt of appropriate therapeutic and educational programs. Accordingly, the present study aimed to explore the lived experiences of special education teachers regarding factors influencing parents’ acceptance of their children’s disabilities. This study was conducted using a phenomenological approach and the study population included all teachers of students with disabilities who were teaching in the city of Isfahan during the 2023–2024 academic year. Purposeful sampling was employed, and interviews were conducted with 11 participants until data saturation was reached. To analyze the interviews, Colaizzi’s method was used. The findings, after thematic extraction, were categorized into 5 main themes and 28 subthemes. The main themes were: the nature of the child’s disability, child characteristics, parental demographic characteristics, parental psychological status, and environmental conditions. Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that parental acceptance of disability is a multifaceted process influenced by numerous factors. These underlying factors create challenges that can delay or restrict the implementation of effective rehabilitation interventions for students. Consequently, the planning and development of future rehabilitation strategies must comprehensively address these underlying factors to maximize the effectiveness of interventions.
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