This study investigated the experiences of caregivers regarding their participation in community-based rehabilitation for children with physical disabilities in two selected communities in Botswana. The experiences included the impact of disability on the immediate family, coping strategies, enabling factors and barriers to participation in community-based rehabilitation.

This study concerned the paucity of group counseling procedures designed specifically for use with parents of handicapped children. Purposes of the study were- (1) design of an affective-cognitive group counseling procedure, (2) investigation of affective-cognitive group counseling procedural effects with parents of handicapped children, (3) determination of procedural effects in a. changing the intra- and interpersonal attitudes of parents, b. increasing parents' knowledge of Positive Behavior Management, and (4) determining comparative procedure effects. Four research hypotheses related to the efficacy of the affective-cognitive group counseling procedure were formulated and tested at the .05 level of confidence. Statistical analysis of data indicated that parents participating in the affective-cognitive group counseling procedure did not achieve significantly higher posttest mean scores on the Acceptance of Self and Others test or in the five areas of the Parent Attitude Survey Scale than did parents participating in the affective, cognitive, or control group. Data did reveal that parents participating in the cognitive group did achieve significantly higher adjusted posttest mean scores on the Positive Behavior Management Assessment than did parents participating in the affective-cognitive, affective, or control group. Data also indicated that parents in the affective-cognitive group did not obtain greater mean scores on goal-attainment than did parents in the other three groups. On the basis of statistical findings, all four hypotheses were rejected.

In 1969, the "President's Committee on Mental Retardation" issued a challenge to all those involved in the care and treatment of the mentally retarded, to integrate institutionalized children into "... normal community living... and enable them to develop their ability and potential to the fullest extent."1 In addition to this mandate the federal government became increasingly aggressive in its campaign to make available to all handicapped children the same rights and privileges as "normal children". One of the major thrusts of this campaign today is to encourage local communities to commit themselves to fulfilling the needs of the handicapped individual within the environment of their community as opposed to the traditional method of institutionalization.

Thesis (MPhil(Rehabilitation))--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This is a descriptive, phenomenological, qualitative study which explores the experiences of and coping strategies employed by the parents/caregivers of disabled children in the management of their care, including rehabilitation and schooling. The study was conducted in the rural communities of the Eastern Cape outside Mthatha, where parents/caregivers of disabled children have historically had challenges finding suitable schooling for their intellectually impaired children. In 1999, Happy Home community rehabilitation centre for disabled children was established by Mrs. V.V. Duma, a parent of a disabled child. Study participants comprised of parents or care-givers of the disabled children residing at Happy Home. A total of 37 participants took part in the study, comprising of six focus group discussions of six parents/caregivers per group, and one individual interview. Study findings revealed that parents/caregivers used a variety of coping strategies to manage the care of their disabled children. Both positive and negative coping strategies were used. Negative coping strategies included abandoning the child, which was justified by, for instance, belief that the child had been bewitched by in-laws, or on the pretext that the mother's HIV positive status had been caused by the father, leading to the mother abandoning the child. In cases where both parents had abandoned the baby, or the death of a parent occurred, a caregiver, often a relative, would take responsibility for the child. Positive strategies can be characterized as willingness by parents/caregivers to do whatever it takes to help the children to survive and access better opportunities. The caregivers/parents who adopted positive coping strategies were mainly from Christian backgrounds and consequently believed that a disabled child is God‟s gift. These parents/caregivers seek assistance from a number of different sources to help the disabled child, including from faith healers, traditional healers, and western medical treatments. Cultural influences on the reactions of parents, extended family and the wider community as revealed in the study show that disability is seen in negative terms and that the abuse of women, including while pregnant, is supported as a cultural norm. It was found that stress, abuse, and poverty during pregnancy were perceived by parents to be some of the causes of disability in new born babies. Parents/caregivers experienced barriers to health and rehabilitation including; long distances to health and rehabilitation centres with prohibitive transport costs. It appeared that health care providers did not communicate about children‟s conditions or would not treat sick disabled children. There were also data that indicated that there were some health care providers who were helpful and that parents/caregivers used other resources such as radio programmes to educate them about disability. The study sought to understand the challenges that disabled children and their parents/caregivers experienced. The results of the study indicate that workshops with the health professionals to change their attitudes, and enhance their understanding of disability should be conducted. In addition, community awareness and education campaigns about causes, and signs and symptoms of disabilities; and the issue of cultural norms that impact on the abuse of women and negative attitudes towards disabled children need to be conducted among the communities from which the study participants originate. Furthermore, the study recommends that the Health Science curriculum include a generic module on disability studies to be completed by all health science students, to ensure that as health practitioners such as therapists and nurses, they can be more effective in responding to the needs of disabled children. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die studie is ʼn beskrywende fenomenologiese navorsing, wat die ervaring van ouers/versorgers van gestremde kinders ondersoek; asook die strategiee wat deur hulle aangewent word om te help met die versorging, rehabilitasie en onderrig van gestremde kinders. Die studie het gebruik gemaak van kwalitatiewe data kolleksie metodes. Ouers/versorgers van gestremde kinders wat in Happy Home woon het aan die studie deelgeneem. Ses groepsbesprekings, met ses ouers in elke groep, sowel as individuele onderhoude met elke deelnemer was uitgevoer. In totaal was daar 37 deelnemers in die studie. Die studie was uitgevoer in die plattelandse gemeenskappe buite Mthatha, in die Oos Kaap. Ouers/versorgers van intelektueel gestremde kinders het probleme ondervind om geskikte onderwys te vind vir hulle kinders in hierdie area. Happy Home, `n gemeenskapsrehabilitasie sentrum vir gestremde kinders, is in 1999 deur Mev J.J.Duma, `n ouer van `n gestremde kind, gestig. Daar was bevind dat ouers/versorgers `n veskeidenheid hanterings meganismes, positief en negatief,gebruik om hulle gestremde kinders te versorg. Negatiewe stratigee soos om die kind te verlaat is ingesluit en is geregverdig deur, bevoorbeeld, die geloof dat die kind deur skoonouers betower was, of op die voorwendsel dat die moeder se HIV postief status, veroorsaak deur die vader, die oorsaak was dat die moeder gevolglik die kind verlaat het. In Ingevalle waar beide ouers die baba verlaat hetof waar `n ouer gesterf het, het `n versorger wat gewoonlik `n familielid was, verantwoordelikheid geneem vir die kind. Postiewe strategiee is kenmerkend van ouers/versorgers se gewilligheid om alles moontlik te doen, om die kinders te help om te oorleef en toegang te he tot beter geleenthede. Ouers/versorgers wie positiewe strategiee aangewent het was waarskynlik van Christelike agtergronde en het gevolglik geglo dat ʼn gestremde kind ʼn gesekenk van God is. Sulke ouers/versorgers soek bystand van ʼn verskydenheid hulpbronne, om die gestremde kind te help; insluitend die dienste van ʼn geloofsgeneser, tradisionele genesers, en westerse mediese behandelings. Die studie het gewys dat kulturele invloede op die reaksies van ouers, die familie en die wyer gemeenskap veroorsaak het dat gestremdheid in `n negatiewe lig gesien word en dat die mishandeling van vroue, insluitende swanger vroue, ondersteun word as `n kulturele norm. Daar was bevind dat spanning, mishandeling en armoede gesien word as oorsake van gestremdheid in pas gebore babas. Ouers/versorgers het struikelblokke teegekom met betrekking tot toegang tot gesondheids dienste en rehabilitasie. Dit het lang afstande na gesondheids- en rehabilitasie sentrums asook onbekostigbare vervoer uitgawes ingesluit. Dit het voorgekom asof gesondheidsorg voorsieners nie oor die kinders se toestande gekommunikeer het nie en nie siek gestremde kinders behandel het nie. Daar was data wat daarop gewys het dat sommige gesondheidsorg voorsieners behulpsaam was en dat ouers/versorgers ander hulpbronne soos radio programme gebruik het om hulself in te lig. Die studie het gepoog om die plattelandse konteks en die uitdagings wat gestremde kinders en hulle ouers/versorgers ondervind het te verstaan. Die studie resultate dui daarop dat werkswinkels met gesondheidsorg verskaffers gehou moet word om hulle begrip van gestremdheid te verbeter om sodoende hulle houding teenoor gestremdhied te verander. Daarbenewens moet opleidings en inligtings veldtogte oor die oorsake, tekens en simptome van gestremdheid, oor die impak wat kulturele norme het op die mishandeling van vroue, en oor die negatiewe houdings teenoor gestremde kinders, in die gemeenskappe waarvandaan die studie deelnemers kom gehou word ʼn Verdere aanbeveling is dat die kurrikulum vir Gesondheids Wetenskappe ʼn algemene module oor gestremdheid studies insluit; om voltooi te word deur all studente wie Gesondheids Wetenskappe studeer; sodat terapeute en verpleegsters grooter kennis sal dra van die behoeftes van gestremde kinders.

Review of the literature on the currently available services for special needs children and early intervention programs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, supports the fact that early intervention services for young special needs children and their families are very limited. The present study aims at determining the importance of early intervention services for children with special needs and their families. The study also aims to firstly identify the need for establishing more early intervention programs across the country as well as to give suggestions for effective utilization of the presently available services. Secondly, the study focuses on determining the needs o mothers of children with intellectual and physical impairments. Thirdly, the study aims to assess the extent to which the available services are benefiting the special needs children and their families. A descriptive research study was conducted on a sample of 27 mothers of young children with intellectual and physical impairments. Three questionnaires were designed and distributed to obtain information about the following issues: 1) the current early intervention services available for young. special needs children in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries. 2) the background information of the families of the sample. 3) the needs of the mothers in the sample. The data was qualitatively analyzed and interpreted by comparing frequencies and their corresponding percentage values. Results of this study indicated that the majority of the mothers expressed severe and moderate need for more information about their child's impairment; and needed more services and intervention programs for their child. Results from the study also established a relationship between some of the socio-economic background variables and the different categories of needs. Finally, some of the needs of the mothers were met with the early intervention services provided by the centre where the study was conducted. / Inclusive Education / D.Ed.(Special Education)

Review of the literature on the currently available services for special needs children and early intervention programs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, supports the fact that early intervention services for young special needs children and their families are very limited. The present study aims at determining the importance of early intervention services for children with special needs and their families. The study also aims to firstly identify the need for establishing more early intervention programs across the country as well as to give suggestions for effective utilization of the presently available services. Secondly, the study focuses on determining the needs o mothers of children with intellectual and physical impairments. Thirdly, the study aims to assess the extent to which the available services are benefiting the special needs children and their families. A descriptive research study was conducted on a sample of 27 mothers of young children with intellectual and physical impairments. Three questionnaires were designed and distributed to obtain information about the following issues: 1) the current early intervention services available for young. special needs children in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries. 2) the background information of the families of the sample. 3) the needs of the mothers in the sample. The data was qualitatively analyzed and interpreted by comparing frequencies and their corresponding percentage values. Results of this study indicated that the majority of the mothers expressed severe and moderate need for more information about their child's impairment; and needed more services and intervention programs for their child. Results from the study also established a relationship between some of the socio-economic background variables and the different categories of needs. Finally, some of the needs of the mothers were met with the early intervention services provided by the centre where the study was conducted. / Inclusive Education / D.Ed.(Special Education)