Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Even though dyspraxia is a fairly new and unknown disorder, especially in South Africa, a fair amount of research has been conducted on what this condition entails, its causes and symptoms, as well as the resources available to deal with children with dyspraxia. However, research on the emotions, frustrations and concerns of the parents of children with dyspraxia is not as readily available. Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological perspective was used as it identifies the family’s diferrent systems where-in it functions. This can possibly identify and bring to attention the existing support systems within the family’s community. The research methodology of this study is qualitative research within the interpretive paradigm. The researcher made use of two case studies as this research explored a specific phenomenon. Through purposive sampling, four parents of children with dyspraxia was identified as participants. The research question guiding this study explores the personal experiences of the parents regarding their children’s dyspraxia. Individual semi-structured interviews and reflective journals were used as methods of data collection. According to existing literature, parents of children with disorders experience their children’s disorders on an emotional, physical as well as social level. The data analysis have shown that parents of children with dyspraxia also experience their children’s condition on these three levels. From this study, it was concluded that parents’ knowledge of dyspraxia, their living environment, the measure of support and resources available, as well as the number of children in the family are all factors that influence their experiences across the three aforementioned levels. The research provides insight into the parents’ experiences and the importance of adequate support for parents, and should promote general awareness and acknowledgement of dyspraxia as a significant barrier in a child’s development. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Alhoewel dispraksie veral in Suid-Afrika nog ’n betreklik nuwe en onbekende versteuring is, is daar al heelwat navorsing gedoen oor wat dié toestand behels, hoe dit ontstaan, met watter simptome dit gepaardgaan, en die beskikbare hulpbronne om ʼn kind met dispraksie te hanteer. Tog is navorsing oor die emosies, frustrasies en bekommernisse van die ouers van kinders met dispraksie nie ewe geredelik beskikbaar nie. Bronfenbrenner se bio-ekologiese teorie is gebruik, omdat dit die gesin se verskeie sisteme identifiseer waarbinne hulle funksioneer. Sodoende kan moontlike ondersteuning in die gesin se gemeenskap geïdentifiseer en bewerkstellig word. Die navorsingsmetodologie van hierdie studie is kwalitatiewe navorsing binne ʼn interpretatiewe paradigma. ʼn Spesifieke fenomeen is ondersoek en die navorser het gebruik gemaak van twee gevallestudies. Die deelnemers, soos geïdentifiseer deur ʼn doelgerigte steekproef, is vier ouers van kinders met dispraksie. Die navorsingsvraag wat hierdie studie lei handel oor die ouers se ervarings en persoonlike belewings rakende hul kinders se dispraksie. Individuele, semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude, sowel as reflektiewe joernale, is as metodes van data-insameling gebruik. Volgens bestaande literatuur beleef ouers van ʼn kind met ʼn versteuring hul kinders se toestand op ʼn emosionele, fisiese én sosiale vlak. Die data analise het gedui dat ook ouers van kinders met dispraksie hul kinders se toestand op hierdie drie vlakke ervaar. Die studie het ook daarop gedui dat ouers se kennis van dispraksie, die omgewing waar hulle woon, die mate van ondersteuning en hulpbronne waaroor hulle beskik, sowel as die getal kinders in die gesin, alles faktore is wat hul ervarings op voormelde drie vlakke beïnvloed. Die navorsing bied insig in die ouers se ervarings en die noodsaaklikheid van genoegsame ondersteuning vir ouers, en behoort algemene bewustheid en erkenning van dispraksie as ʼn hindernis vir ʼn kind se ontwikkeling te bevorder.

Thesis (MA (Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Family resilience refers to the family’s ability to overcome adversity using inherent and/or acquired strengths and resources. The aim of this study was to identify factors contributing to the successful adaptation, or resilience, of families following the birth or diagnosis of a child with a developmental disability. The study is based on the theoretical frameworks of family resilience proposed by McCubbin and McCubbin (1996) and Walsh (2003), namely the Family Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation and the Family Resilience Framework. The study population in this study comprised 40 families with a child with a developmental disability living in the Boland region of the Western Cape. One parent from each family was asked to complete a number of quantitative measuring instruments and answer an open-ended question aimed at identifying the strengths and resources contributing to the family’s adaptation. Quantitative data was analysed through analyses of variance, Pearson product-moment correlations and a multiple regression analysis. The qualitative data was analysed using thematic content analysis. These analyses revealed that an acceptance of the situation, positive patterns of family communication, commitment and support within the family unit, and a positive attitude with regard to new experiences and challenges facilitate family adaptation and resilience, while negative patterns of communication within the family were found to be inversely related to family adaptation. An inverse association was also found between age of the child with a disability and family adaptation. These findings suggest some possible avenues of intervention by which the adaptation of families with a child with a developmental disability in South Africa can be facilitated or supported. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Gesinsveerkragtigheid verwys na die gesin se vermoë om terugslae en teenspoed te oorkom deur die gebruik van bestaande en aangeleerde sterktes en hulpbronne. Die doel van die huidige studie was om kwaliteite te identifiseer wat tot die aanpassing, en dus veerkragtigheid, van gesinne met ‘n kind met ‘n ontwikkelingsgestremdheid bydra. Die studie is gebaseer op die teoretiese raamwerke wat deur McCubbin en McCubbin (1996) en Walsh (2003) voorgestel is, naamlik die Family Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation en die Family Resilience Framework. Veertig gesinne van ‘n kind met ‘n ontwikkelingsgestremdheid wat in die Bolandgebied in die Wes-Kaap bly, het aan die studie deelgeneem. ‘n Reeks kwantitatiewe vraelyste en ‘n oopeinde-vraag is deur een ouer van elke gesin voltooi. Hierdie vraelyste en oopeinde-vraag was gerig op die identifisering van sterktes en hulpbronne wat tot die suksesvolle aanpassing van die gesin bydra. Die kwantitatiewe data is ontleed deur gebruik te maak van variansieontleding, die berekening van Pearson-produkmomentkorrelasies en meerregressie-ontledings. Die kwalitatiewe data is ontleed deur gebruik te maak van tematiese inhoudsontleding. Die kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe ontledings het getoon dat aanvaarding van die situasie, positiewe kommunikasie tussen gesinslede, toegewydheid tot die gesin, gesinseenheid en ‘n positiewe houding om krisisse as `n uitdaging te beskou, belangrike veerkragtigheidskwaliteite is, terwyl negatiewe en opruiende kommunikasie in die gesin omgekeerd met aanpassing verband hou. ‘n Omgekeerde verband is ook gevind tussen gesinsaanpassing en die ouderdom van die kind met ‘n gestremdheid. Hierdie bevindings kan bydra tot die ontwikkeling van ingrypingsprogramme waardeur die aanpassing van Suid-Afrikaanse gesinne met ‘n kind met ‘n gestremdheid gefasiliteer en ondersteun kan word.

Doctor of Philosophy / Human service professionals provide a range of services to support the health and development of children with a disability and to assist their families. Over the past two decades, family-centred approaches have become widely acclaimed as a means of providing quality services. To date, research has focused predominately on identifying or measuring discrete elements of professionals’ practice with families, such as parent–professional partnerships, family-centred practice and family empowerment, often neglecting to consider the broader practice context. What is missing is an empirical and contextually grounded understanding of how professionals interpret and enact the multiple concepts informing practice. This study addresses this gap by exploring how professionals think, feel and act when working with families and by examining more broadly, the multi-dimensional and contextual concept of ‘professional practice’. In this study, professional practice with families is conceptualised as a cultural activity. The study sought to identify and describe the culture of professional practice with families and how this culture is instantiated in daily work practice. The theoretical framework underpinning this study comes from Jerome Bruner’s cultural psychology, and specifically his writings on situated action, culture and narrative. Accordingly, narrative was considered a means to identify, describe and understand the daily work practices of professionals ‘situated’ in their cultural setting and their own intentions when working with families. One hundred and sixty three stories about professional practice were collected in focus groups and individual interviews with human service professionals in New South Wales, Australia. These narratives were analysed deductively to identify the culture of professional practice. This culture comprised of ten components reflecting professionals’ understanding of the culturally acceptable ways of working with families. The cultural components reflected principles underlying family-centred practices as well as traditional medically framed and emerging business-like principles associated with managerialism and economic rationalism. Narrative analysis was employed to inductively develop four cultural core narratives grounded V in participants’ stories: Making it work, having to fight, hopeless struggle and making the best of it. Professionals potentially have all of these narratives available to them to explain their actions in each practice situation. The results of this study provide a description and analysis of the cultural world of professional practice with families. For family-centred approaches to become a reality, these findings emphasise the critical importance of education, policy and staff development for professionals working with families that addresses the broader practice context. Suggestions are made regarding further exploration of the crosscultural validity and the application and implications of these narratives for professionals and families. By exposing the culture of professional practice and the four cultural narratives, this study challenges professionals, managers, academics and policymakers alike to critically examine the practice culture and their contribution to creating and sustaining it.

Doctor of Philosophy / Human service professionals provide a range of services to support the health and development of children with a disability and to assist their families. Over the past two decades, family-centred approaches have become widely acclaimed as a means of providing quality services. To date, research has focused predominately on identifying or measuring discrete elements of professionals’ practice with families, such as parent–professional partnerships, family-centred practice and family empowerment, often neglecting to consider the broader practice context. What is missing is an empirical and contextually grounded understanding of how professionals interpret and enact the multiple concepts informing practice. This study addresses this gap by exploring how professionals think, feel and act when working with families and by examining more broadly, the multi-dimensional and contextual concept of ‘professional practice’. In this study, professional practice with families is conceptualised as a cultural activity. The study sought to identify and describe the culture of professional practice with families and how this culture is instantiated in daily work practice. The theoretical framework underpinning this study comes from Jerome Bruner’s cultural psychology, and specifically his writings on situated action, culture and narrative. Accordingly, narrative was considered a means to identify, describe and understand the daily work practices of professionals ‘situated’ in their cultural setting and their own intentions when working with families. One hundred and sixty three stories about professional practice were collected in focus groups and individual interviews with human service professionals in New South Wales, Australia. These narratives were analysed deductively to identify the culture of professional practice. This culture comprised of ten components reflecting professionals’ understanding of the culturally acceptable ways of working with families. The cultural components reflected principles underlying family-centred practices as well as traditional medically framed and emerging business-like principles associated with managerialism and economic rationalism. Narrative analysis was employed to inductively develop four cultural core narratives grounded V in participants’ stories: Making it work, having to fight, hopeless struggle and making the best of it. Professionals potentially have all of these narratives available to them to explain their actions in each practice situation. The results of this study provide a description and analysis of the cultural world of professional practice with families. For family-centred approaches to become a reality, these findings emphasise the critical importance of education, policy and staff development for professionals working with families that addresses the broader practice context. Suggestions are made regarding further exploration of the crosscultural validity and the application and implications of these narratives for professionals and families. By exposing the culture of professional practice and the four cultural narratives, this study challenges professionals, managers, academics and policymakers alike to critically examine the practice culture and their contribution to creating and sustaining it.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 1995. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 58-66). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.) -- University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2006. / Title from title page screen (viewed on September 19, 2006). Thesis advisor: Vey M. Nordquist. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

M.A.(Information & Knowledge Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Dissertation (MA (AAC))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC) / Unrestricted

This was a quantitative research project whose goal was to compare the level of autism and its affect on the parental relationship. Further, it sought to look at different family attributes of the subject child to see how they affected the marital satisfaction as well. The findings indicate that the hypothesis was correct, that the level of severity of autism does negatively affect the parental marital satisfaction.

The purpose of the study was to assess the perceptions of mothers of multihandicapped offspring, special education teachers, and special education supervisors regarding the mothers' adjustment to their multihandicapped children. Specifically, the nature of the adjustment process was investigated; whether it was more aptly characterized as chronic sorrow or time-bound grief. Additional information was sought on the availability and usefulness of parental support services. Subjects included 15 mothers of multihandicapped offspring, 8 special education supervisors and 7 special education teachers. All were associated with the Cooperative Centers for Exceptional Children, in rural southwest Virginia. Data were collected by personal interviews. Subjects responded to open-ended questions and constructed graphs representing their perceptions of parental distress at 12 developmental crisis points. All of the mothers and educators constructed graphs representing chronic sorrow as opposed to time-bound grief. All but one of the mothers indicated that although they experienced chronic distress, it was a periodic rather than continuous phenomenon. Comparison of the mean group ratings for each of the 12 crisis points revealed significant differences in the groups' perceptions of parental distress at only two crisis points: ''management of a crisis unique to the child", for which the educators underestimated the mothers' distress; and "onset of puberty", for which the teachers overestimated the mothers' distress. All respondents perceived a difference in mothers' distress levels at various developmental crisis points. ''Birth/diagnosis'', discussion of placement of the child outside of the home", ''management of a crisis unique to the child", and "discussion of guardianship" were perceived as highly distressful by all three groups. Deficits were revealed in the existing parental support service delivery system(s) in the geographic region of the study. Services to parents of preschool children and offspring age 13-15 and older appeared to be insufficient to meet the parents ' needs. A lack of organization and communication among community agencies, the limited scope of available services, and parents' reluctance or inability to use available services were cited as contributing factors to the problems in service delivery. The support services ranked as the most useful by parents and educators were individual counseling, respite care, parent groups, and conferences with the offspring's teacher. / Ed. D.