"This paper is concerned with the various phases of the homebound program, including the problems and the progress. What is the relationship between the child and the members of his 'Team'? How does he compare with so-called normal children socially, emotionally, and educationally? What are his vocational possibilities? How are school materials, procedures, and methods geared to meet his needs? Why are recreation and the 'transition period' considered as two of the most significant phases of the homebound program? It is to be hoped that this paper will offer some aid to those most concerned, and will answer some of their many questions. It is not written to be used as a pattern nor for technical digestion, but only as a guidepost on the way to a more effective program for the homebound child"--Introduction. / "August, 1956." / Typescript. / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts." / Advisor: M. B. Caldwell, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 93-97).

Thesis (MEdPsych)--University of Stellenbosch, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: My study aims to explore the feelings of and coping strategies used by a group of mothers of young children with an intellectual disability. I used two validated questionnaires and, at a later date, a semi-structured interview with each research participant. My analyses of the questionnaires' data provided me with tentative themes for inclusion during the semi-structured interviews. The combination of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies resulted in the confirmation and expansion of some of the data, but contradictions between other data. I used lay theory as one explanation for the contradictory findings. My study found that the mothers of young children with an intellectual disability experience a range of feelings and use a combination of different coping strategies, a pragmatic coping style being common to all the participants. I conclude by acknowledging the inherent capabilities of my research participants and encouraging service providers to empower parents of young children with an intellectual disability. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van die studie is die ondersoek van gevoelens en hanteringstrategiee van 'n groep moeders vanjong kinders met 'n kognitiewe gestremdheid. Ek het aanvanklik gebruik gemaak van twee geldige vraelyste en na afloop daarvan is 'n semigestruktureede onderhoud gevoer met elke deelnemer. Tentatiewe temas verkry uit geanaliseerde vraelys data is ook gebruik/ingesluit gedurende die semi-gestruktureede onderhoud. Die kombinasise van kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe navorsingsmetttodologiee het gelei tot die bevestiging en uitbreiding van sekere data, maar was ook weer teenstrydig met van die ander data. Ek het leke teorie gebruik as verklaring vir die teenstrydighede. My studie het bevind dat hierdie moeders 'n wye verskeidenheid gevoelens ervaar en dat hulle ook van verskeie hanteringstrategiee gebruik maak. Die pragmatiese hanteringstyl was die mees algemene onder die deelnemers. Samevattend het ek erkenning verleen aan die inherente vermoens van die deelnemers en ook diensverskaffers aangemoedig om ouers van jong kinders met 'n kognitiewe gestremdheid te bemagtig.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

Thesis (MSc (Rehabilitation))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / The school that was studied caters for learners with special educational needs in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. The learners at the school have a variety of physical, intellectual and learning disabilities. They receive rehabilitation inputs aimed at optimising their potential as school learners and as adults. These include occupational and speech therapy, physiotherapy, learning support and educational psychology. The therapists who work with them often utilise home programmes to involve the parents in their child’s therapy and to achieve carry-over from the therapy sessions. Among the professionals at the school there is currently a perception that therapy home programmes are poorly complied with and that the rehabilitation outcomes of the learners are being disadvantaged as a result. A need therefore arose to explore this issue. This study aims to determine the extent of compliance with therapy home programmes by parents and learners of this school. The study also attempted to elicit factors identified by parents and therapists as inhibitors to and/or facilitators for compliance with the home programmes. A descriptive, analytical study design was used. All therapists working at the school, as well as the parents of learners who were expected to comply with a home programme, were invited to participate. Data was collected using two self-compiled, self-administered questionnaires. A parent focus group was added later in an attempt to elicit more depth with regard to some of the issues explored. The data was analysed using quantitative and qualitative methods. Seventy-one percent of parents reported complying at levels adequate for therapeutic benefit to be achieved. However, 25% of the parents reported complying by less than 24% of the time prescribed. The barriers to compliance identified in this study include the quality of teamwork between the parents and the professionals, attitudinal barriers from both the parents and the therapists, the quality of training for the parents and practical difficulties. The family-centred, collaborative model of teamwork was recommended to both the therapists and the parents to facilitate parental input at all levels of the planning and design of the rehabilitation programme.

This thesis examined the experiences and perspectives of immigrant Chinese Canadian mothers of children with disabilities in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia in the areas of parental involvement in education and coping with parenting stress. In-depth interviewing, supplemented by questionnaires, was utilised to gather data. Ten women, most of whom were newly immigrated, whose school-age sons had various disabilities and who spoke English as a second language, participated in the study. The mothers' acculturation level to Canadian ways of living was generally low. Devotion to the children was at the heart of parent involvement and coping. Inability to speak English fluently posed a major barrier to the involvement of these women in their children's education. It also restricted their ability to seek community resources. These women valued their children's education and worked with them at home. The degree of the mothers' participation in school was generally less than that of their involvement at home. The women made comparisons of education in Canada and that in the Asian countries where they came from, and stated their preferences for qualities possessed by teachers. The mothers expressed some conflicts with the schools, and they mostly tried to avoid confrontation. Self-reliance, self-control, a belief in family support, as well as a belief in fate helped them to cope. Readily available interpreter services and information in Chinese about service agencies serving children with disabilities and their families would be helpful to Chinese Canadian women like them.

This thesis examined the experiences and perspectives of immigrant Chinese Canadian mothers of children with disabilities in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia in the areas of parental involvement in education and coping with parenting stress. In-depth interviewing, supplemented by questionnaires, was utilised to gather data. Ten women, most of whom were newly immigrated, whose school-age sons had various disabilities and who spoke English as a second language, participated in the study. The mothers' acculturation level to Canadian ways of living was generally low. Devotion to the children was at the heart of parent involvement and coping. Inability to speak English fluently posed a major barrier to the involvement of these women in their children's education. It also restricted their ability to seek community resources. These women valued their children's education and worked with them at home. The degree of the mothers' participation in school was generally less than that of their involvement at home. The women made comparisons of education in Canada and that in the Asian countries where they came from, and stated their preferences for qualities possessed by teachers. The mothers expressed some conflicts with the schools, and they mostly tried to avoid confrontation. Self-reliance, self-control, a belief in family support, as well as a belief in fate helped them to cope. Readily available interpreter services and information in Chinese about service agencies serving children with disabilities and their families would be helpful to Chinese Canadian women like them. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

The purpose of this study was to develop a better understanding about the experiences and needs of foster parents who care for medically fragile children and indentify characteristics related to providing quality care.