Availability of Special Education Related Services and Incentives for Children with Special Needs in Government Special Education Centres in Punjab: A Survey of Parental Perception

Parents' involvement in the rehabilitation process is very important. Parental views about the availability of related services and incentives are the significant indicators of their required particular needs. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the level of available related services and incentives in special education centers and to highlight their specific and suggestions for improvement of these services for students of four disabilities studying in these centers. A survey was conducted from 2019 to 2020 to collect data about demographic characteristics and information about related services and incentives provided to these special students from their parents and also their suggestions to improve these services. The sample consisted of 36 government special education centers at the Tehsil level, from which 479 questionnaires, filled by the parents of students, were received back. The results emphasized the low education and income of the parents, increasing incidence of disability in the families of special children, lack of available services and incentives in these centers, and acknowledged parental suggestions and recommendations. It was concluded from the survey that future planning of provisions of related services and incentives might be more helpful and effective if based on the requirements and preferences conveyed by parents of special students with four disabilities.

Parental Views on the Lives of Preschool Children in the Covid-19 Pandemic Process

This study aims to investigate the parental views of pre-school children during the Covid 19 pandemic and is conducted using a basic qualitative research design from qualitative research methods. In the study, parents of children attending pre-school institution were identified through criterion sampling techniques from non-selective sampling methods. The study prepared a semi-structured interview form for parents with children attending pre-school institution as an instrument for data collection. The data from the semi-structured interview form was collected through online interviews with parents whose children attend the pre-school facility. As a result of the study, parents indicated that during the pre-school children's pandemic process, there were more activities with family members at home, the children spent more time with technological devices, terms such as pandemic, diseases, and viruses were frequently used in their daily conversations, and their negative, boring, and aggressive behaviors increased. It was also noted that children were sleeping and waking up later during this time, thus changing their sleep patterns. Another finding observed by the parents was that irregular eating habits increased in the children's eating behavior. It was observed by the parents that children were washing their hands more frequently than before the pandemic. Another finding of the study was that children spoke with longing about their school life due to the disruption of personal instruction in schools.

CONTENT CHARACTERISTICS OF DEFINITION THE “DIFFICULT TEENAGERS”

The problem of upbringing of difficult teenagers in pedagogical theory and practice has been and remains the subject of special attention of pedagogical scientists were found out during analyzed scientific works in this article. The difficult teenagers in educational terms – are just ordinary children who have a specific personality particularity, namely, they are difficulties to upbringing. The children who are the difficult to upbringing, they are characterized by developmental defects and violations of norms and rules of behavior. This is why the difficult teenagers need the formation of moral and volitional qualities, the formation of socially significant value orientations, the mobilization of personal resources and sustainable socialization extremely hard.The complex patterns of adolescence, negative socio-economic and political processes, the parental views on upbringing and their pedagogical methods, shortcomings in the work of educational institutions also were mentioned in this article. And the category of difficult teenagers arose as a result of these influences.The essence and content of the concept the «difficult teenagers» has been determined in this article.

Hispanic Parents’ Views of Family Physical Activity: Results from a Multisite Focus Group Investigation

Understanding parental views regarding family physical activity is essential to the development of family-focused physical activity interventions. Using a qualitative methodology with thematic analysis and a socio-demographic questionnaire, this study aimed to examine Mexican American and Puerto Rican parental views on child and family physical activity. Sixty-one parents (56 mothers, five fathers) from four sites (California, Illinois, Texas, and Puerto Rico) each participated in a single one-hour focus group session, which included an average of five parents. The findings of this study indicated that parents perceived themselves and their families to be physically active, while some parents believed their children were getting enough physical activity at school and afterschool programs. Walking, bicycling, and playing soccer were the most common physical activities that parents reported engaging in as a family. In addition, some parents shared their preference for exercising without their children. Time constraints along with unsafe neighborhood streets and parks were identified as the major barriers to being physically active as a family. Mothers reported that fathers’ involvement in physical activity and combining a healthy diet with exercise were useful strategies for physical activity promotion. This study provides valuable information regarding Hispanic parental views concerning family physical activity relevant to the design of culturally family-based physical activity interventions for this population.

Parental Views on the Role of Social Media in Pediatric Otolaryngology

Objective: Social media is playing an increasingly important role in medicine as a tool for patients and their families to find information and connect with others. The goal of this study is to understand parental views on if and how social media should be incorporated into pediatric otolaryngology by physicians and hospitals. Methods: A survey was distributed to parents of pediatric otolaryngologic patients to assess views on professional social media use by physicians and hospitals. The proportion of parents who answered with specific responses in the survey was computed using the SPSS frequency analysis function. Results: One hundred five parents completed the survey. Ninety-six percent of respondents use social media, of which 92% use social media at least once a day (n = 93). Eighty-five percent of respondents said they definitely or probably would visit their physician’s professional social media page (n = 90). Seventy-four percent would be interested in obtaining more information about the physician (n = 76). Forty-one percent would be interested in patient stories (n = 76). Twenty-eight percent would visit out of curiosity (n = 76). Twenty-six percent would want to gather more information about the hospital (n = 76). Seventeen percent would want to connect with other patients and their family members (n = 76). Sixty-seven percent of respondents believe it is important for physicians to have a professional social media page, and 79% of respondents believe it is important for hospitals to have a public social media page (n = 93). Conclusion: The vast majority of parents of pediatric otolaryngologic patients use social media regularly and would want to gather information about their physician and hospital through social media. Therefore, physicians and hospitals should consider using social media as a valuable tool to connect with and relay information to patients and their family members.

A Qualitative Evidence Synthesis of Parental Experiences and Perceptions of Parent–Child Interaction Therapy for Preschool Children With Communication Difficulties

Purpose Parent–child interaction therapy refers to a number of interventions mediated by trained parents to treat developmental difficulties, including speech, language, and communication. Understanding the experiences of parents who take part in parent–child interaction therapy is a key aspect of determining how this intervention can be implemented successfully. However, to date, there has been limited work on synthesizing parental views of this intervention. Method We used qualitative evidence synthesis that involved searching the literature for qualitative studies addressing the experiences and perceptions of parent–child interaction therapy for parents of preschool children with communication difficulties. We identified 27 studies (from 32 publications) and synthesized the data using thematic synthesis. We appraised the quality of included studies using Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) and assessed our confidence in the review findings using GRADE Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research (CERQual). Results At the beginning of this intervention, parents may have competing demands and varied expectations about the intervention. Their engagement is facilitated when the intervention is tailored to their individual family, their preferences for learning, and when they have a trusting relationship with the clinician. At the end of the intervention, although most parents perceive an improvement in their child's communication and feel empowered to facilitate this, they have concerns about their child's future needs. Conclusions It is important that clinicians explore parents' readiness for this intervention by discussing their needs and preferences openly, and that they facilitate their engagement through a supportive relationship. They also need to consider how parents will transition out of the intervention and continue to support their child's language development. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.14978454

Parental views on informational counselling provided by audiologists for children with permanent childhood hearing loss

Background: The absence of best practice guidelines on informational counselling, has caused lack of clarity regarding the information audiologists should provide to parents and caregivers following the diagnosis of a hearing loss. Research shows that informational counselling provided by audiologists is limited and often biased, with little evidence of how parents experience this service.Objectives: To explore the nature and practice of informational counselling by audiologists.Method: This study was descriptive in nature and adopted a survey design to obtain information on the current practices of informational counselling from the perspective of parents and primary caregivers. Ninety-seven face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted across KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis using Nvivo software were conducted.Results: The majority of the parents reported receiving some form of informational counselling. However, the information provided by audiologists was considered to be biased as it included a favoured communication option, school and rehabilitative technology. There was a lack of information related to aural rehabilitation and family-centred intervention. The provision of all communication options, school options and rehabilitative technology were identified as gaps that contribute to an unfavourable decision-making process.Conclusion: There are inefficiencies experienced by families of deaf and hard of hearing children during informational counselling. However, this understanding, together with the identified gaps by parents, can help address the professional response to caring for families with deaf and hard of hearing children.