An exploration of the experiences of parents coming to terms with the realisation that their child is intellectually disabled.
Date
2010-06-24T10:30:25Z
Authors
Jacobs, Leandra Silvana
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
The aim of the study was to explore the experiences of parents who have had to deal with
the realisation that their child was developing at a distinctly slower pace intellectually than
their peers and how they then perceived their intellectually disabled child. A small sample
was used, that comprised of seven participants. For the purpose of this study, a qualitative
research method was applied to gain an in-depth understanding of the parents’ experiences
and perceptions of their intellectually disabled child. Semi-structured interviews were
conducted by the researcher to collect data and every measure was taken to adhere to
ethical considerations. Once the data had been collected through interviews, the
information was analysed using thematic content analysis. Various themes were
established and from these themes it was ascertained that parents’ overall experience of
their child’s intellectual disability was met with both positive and negative feelings.
Furthermore, the support which they received from external sources proved vital in
enabling them to accept as well as cope with the demands of caring for a child with an
intellectual disability. On the whole, parents’ perceptions and attitudes towards disability
were shown to further influence the impact of disability on the family as a whole.