This paper deals with actual experiences of elementary school children in Bay County who were socially handicapped by emotional upsets which they were not able to overcome alone. For the greater part these children were in overcrowded classrooms and had to be helped by the teacher as frustrations became evident. It is the purpose of the writer to show how emotional disturbances contributed to the social maladjustment of the children whose cases will be discussed in this paper. / "July 3, 1950." / Typescript. / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science under Plan II." / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 69-71).

The purpose of this study is to identify the main stessors that parents experience when raising an autistic child and parents' perceptions of what can help them cope better. It is important that parenting stressors and coping strategies are identified as they relate to the age of the child with autism.

The focus of this study was the exploration of parents and caregivers experiences of raising children with ADHD and their experiences of services at a public sector hospital. There is a paucity of scholarly studies conducted on this topic in South Africa. The context of the study is the public sector hospital where the researcher is employed as a social worker. Through her interactions with the parents and caregivers of ADHD affected children she became aware of the challenges that they were exposed to and this prompted her to undertake the study. This was a qualitative study and a purposive sample was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 participants and one focus group was conducted as a method of triangulation, with six participants. This study was guided by two theoretical frameworks, namely the bio-psychosocial and ecosystems approaches. The main conclusions drawn from the findings of the study were that many participants experienced a lack of support from their families and from the hospital. Participants did not have sufficient knowledge of the comprehensive treatment plan available in the management of ADHD. Health care professionals failed to engage in mutual decision making with participants, related to ADHD treatment and they neglected to address the concerns of participants regarding their children. A further finding was that the referral process to allied health professionals was inconsistent. Participants also experienced difficulties with the hospital administrative processes. Based on the findings, the recommendations include the need for more comprehensive support which includes medical and psychosocial support for participants. The limited knowledge base of participants with regard to the nature, causes and the use of medication for ADHD should be addressed by the health care providers. This could be achieved through participant education on the disorder at the initial stages of diagnosis. ADHD should be managed in a more collaborative and co-ordinated manner at the health care facility through an actively interdependent team. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

Sibling relationships are an important, yet under investigated aspect of foster care research. Despite the fact that between 65-85% of children in care have brothers and sisters, only recently have child welfare researchers begun to explore the complex and dynamic nature of sibling relationships in substitute care settings. Although cross-sectional and longitudinal studies suggest differences in placement stability and permanency outcomes for siblings placed together versus those placed separately, the conditions under which sibling relationships influence placement stability, permanency, and well-being in foster care settings remain unknown. This dissertation investigated how family dynamics and home setting characteristics influenced the likelihood of a foster care placement change for a sample of children who participated in a sibling relationship enhancement intervention (SIBS-FC) study. A conceptual model was proposed to help explain the circumstances which lead to foster care placement change, and the moderating effects of family living composition on the odds of placement change over an 18-month period were examined. Two multivariate statistical approaches were used in this investigation. The first approach involved examining the effects of a child's report of positive home integration, sibling relationship quality, caregiver's reported impact of child behavior, sibling living situation, kinship caregiver status, number of placements prior to study entry, and receipt of the SIBS-FC intervention on the odds of placement change. Results suggest that children in kinship care were 58% less likely to experience placement change than those who lived in non-relative care, and youth who lived apart from their siblings were 70% more likely to experience placement change than those who lived together. In the second statistical approach, living composition categories were constructed to understand the moderating effects of different living situations on the odds of placement change. Living composition categories included youth who lived in kinship care with their siblings, youth who lived in kinship care without their siblings, and youth who lived in non-relative care with their siblings, with youth in non-relative care who lived apart from their siblings serving as the referent category. Findings support a moderation effect for different categories of living composition, as well as a trend level effect for sibling relationship quality and odds of placement change. Living with one's sibling in kinship care decreased the odds of placement change by 75%, as compared to living apart from one's sibling in a non-relative foster home. A post-hoc analysis determined that all living composition categories were statistically different from one another in relative odds of a placement change. This dissertation provides additional evidence concerning the protective nature of kinship care and sibling co-placement on reducing the odds of experiencing a foster care placement change, and provides support for practices and policies prioritizing kinship care and the co-placement of siblings when making substitute care placement decisions. Future studies of siblings in foster care should explore the experiences of youth across the different forms of foster care living composition, examine the relationship between placement stability and permanency outcomes, and examine the relationship between placement stability, permanency, and child well-being.

At the moment there are over 6 thousand children who have lost parent’s care and the biggest part of them live in children care house. Some children get to children care house when they are already adolescents. Adolescent must overcome not only difficulties that are typical in this age but also adapt in new social environment. Purposeful organization of nonformal education helps adolescents who live in children care house to develop their personal, educational, social, professional competences, it also helps to ease their integration into society. Schools, various centers and children care institutions who organize nonformal education face the problem the amount of the children who attend activities is diminishing. Likely that content, methods and activity forms of nonformal education not always suits present situation, needs of adolescents who live in children care house and there are no specific education programmes that would be designed to organize nonformal education activities for adolescents in children care house. The purpose of this research is to examine (determine) factors that could make nonformal education in children care house more effective and according to what an effective nonformal education programme could be created. We hypothesized that Press Club – is one of the most effective forms of nonformal education in children care house which suits needs and wishes of adolescents and which helps him to adapt in new social environment more effectively, to... [to full text]

The present study aims to explore the experiences of caregivers working with children living with HIV/AIDS in the context of a children's home. While there has been research conducted on family members as well as community based caregivers of people living with HIV/AIDS, there has been a paucity of research on caregivers of children living with HIV/AIDS in Children's homes. There is a strong need to address this area of deficit in order to identify and tackle areas of difficulty as well as rewarding aspects to enhance the caregiving experience This pilot study adopted the interpretive research paradigm, is qualitative in nature and utilized in depth interviews as a means of data collection. Four women working as caregivers at the children's home were interviewed and the data obtained was analysed using thematic content analysis. The present study highlights the positive as well as the negative aspects of caregiving from the perspective of the caregivers. While caregivers identify the difficulties that they face as a result of caregiving, they also acknowledge the rewards that they attain from their line of work. Furthermore the present study emphasises the coping strategies employed by the caregivers on a personal and an organisational level as well as the resources that aid coping and the constraints against utilising the coping resources. In addition issues of attachment and detachment associated with caring for children, that are particularly pertinent to these non -familial caregivers have been explored. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005.

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a problem of increasing intensity both internationally and within the context of South Africa. While various studies have investigated the post-rape experiences of CSA survivors, few have studied these experiences from a child-centred perspective. The current study thus seeks to explore the personal views of children and their ways of seeing the world in relation to their helpful and harmful experiences in the aftermath of disclosure. The sample was taken from an NGO, located on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal, which deals specifically with issues affecting abused children. The sample consisted of 20 child rape survivors, between the ages of 5 and 17. Qualitative interviews were conducted in isiZulu by a trained Counselling Psychologist, who served the role of both interviewer and counsellor. Interview transcripts were translated into English and analyzed thematically. Data were organized within an ecosystemic framework in an attempt to conceptualize experiences at various systemic levels. Results indicate varying helpful and harmful experiences with regard to familial, community, institutional, and broader macrosytemic levels of influence. Harmful experiences at the institutional level appeared to have to do with the lack of information shared with the children as to the nature of the proceedings, and what was expected of them, rather than with the post-rape medical examination. Reactions of significant others, in particular the primary caregiver, were found to have a significant impact upon the child’s own feelings towards the sexual abuse. Fear of revictimization, disbelief regarding the minimum punishment afforded to the perpetrator, and feelings of being tricked, deceived, and let down by the perpetrator, were other common themes within the data. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sci.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

This thesis explores the experiences of aging parents caring for adult children with acquired brain injury regarding future care needs. Seven parents representing four adult disabled children, were individually interviewed using the Family Support and Coping Interview. The parents then participated in three groups sessions to discuss the commonality of 'never-ending' parenthood. The parents, who average 70.9 years of age, have been sole caregivers for middle-aged children. Their displaced life cycle responsibilities, their vision of a solution and the need to socially publicize their predicament were major themes requiring advocacy with policy makers and government funders. Research into the care of those who cannot manage independent living is imperative, particularly as social thinking and fiscal policies espouse the benefits of the autonomous family.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1994. / Includes tables and appendices. Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Marilyn Rawnsley. Dissertation Committee: Jane A. Monroe. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-131).

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) encompasses a group of life-long neurodevelopmental disorders. It is an enormous challenge to care for someone with ASD. The majority of people with ASD will need life-long support from family members and will not be able to function independently in society. This places emotional and financial strain on a family. There are many low-income families in South Africa with autistic children who cannot afford specialised intervention. It has been estimated that 135 000 autistic children are not getting the specialized education they need. Despite not receiving the needed support, there are many low-income families who remain resilient after their child is diagnosed. This study aimed to explore how these low-income families remain resilient. Qualitative data was gathered using in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted in English and Afrikaans; depending on the participant’s language of preference. Six participants were recruited with the help of professionals in a local community in Cape Town, Western Cape. The data obtained was transcribed and analysed through thematic analysis. Lincoln and Guba’s model (Krefting, 1990) was used to determine the trustworthiness of the data. The three themes that emerged from the study were (1) parents’ response to the diagnosis of their child, (2) the resources parents found helpful in their immediate environment and (3) the specific coping skills that parents use to remain resilient. Walsh’s family resilience framework as well as the Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation (The Resiliency Model) of McCubbin and McCubbin were used to understand how participants adjusted to their circumstance and remained resilient. This study provides a more in-depth understanding of the resilience factors of families with a child with ASD in a resource-limited setting in the Western Cape.