Distance Learning in an Inclusive Preschool Focused on Autism During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Methods Multiple Case Study of Four Children

Despite the widespread use of distance learning during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, little is known about the developmental appropriateness of this instructional format for preschoolers, particularly when implemented in inclusive settings. The current research was implemented in a university-affiliated, state-funded inclusive preschool classroom focused on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) where parents were given the option to enroll in a full distance program (FDP) during the first 9 weeks of the 2020/21 school year. Parents of four children, including two children with ASD, selected the FDP option. Synchronous whole group, small group, and individual online sessions were recorded using screen capture and coded for children's maintained attention and directed communication. Further, parents and teachers completed exit interviews or a focus group, which were transcribed and analyzed using qualitative research methods. This is the first study to use observational methods to measure child engagement during preschool FDP sessions. Results from this mixed-method multiple case study paint a rich picture of both opportunities and limitations inherent in distance learning when implemented in inclusive preschool settings. General conclusions, future directions, and study limitations are discussed.

Mothers As New Teachers During The COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities

COVID-19, as a global pandemic, has generated extreme disruptions and challenges worldwide in social, economic, healthcare, and educational sys-tems. To reduce the virus's transmission, education systems moved to remote learning in the spring of 2020, with little to no time for preparation. This paper examines the educational experiences of parents of students with disabilities whose children attended PreK-6th public schools in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic using a Disability Studies in Education theoretical framework. In this qualitative phenomenological study, we interviewed 15 mothers of students with disabilities on Zoom. Using constant-comparative data analysis, we identified a theme revealing mothers' new identities as teachers of their children with disabilities at home, which brought unique challenges and opportunities. The mothers' challenges were related to the school's overreliance on them in remote learning, balancing multiple responsibilities, the need to re-learn academic content and new technology, and the colli-sion of teacher and mom identities and school and home boundaries. These challenges strained mother-child relationships and negatively influenced the mothers' mental health and well-being. However, their new identity as new teachers also generated new opportunities. Particularly, remote learning made school practices transparent, and mothers reconceptualized their children's abilities and realized their competence for learning. © 2022 Authors.

Mental Health of Jordanian Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder during COVID-19: A qualitative study

The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant psychological effects on par-ents, especially parents of children with autism spectrum disorders. This qualitative study explores the mental health of Jordanian parents of children with autism spectrum disorder during COVID-19. Through phone inter-views with nine such parents, this study found that the pandemic was a great source of stress and anxiety for parents of autistic children in Jordan, which was worsened by a lack of formal support for them and their children. This study also found that parents relied on their religious beliefs, shared childcare responsibilities, and engaged in social and family activities to mitigate the psychological toll of raising children during the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2022 Authors.

Predicting Parent Trust Based on Professionals' Communication Skills

Trust is critical to the establishment and maintenance of working relationships between the parents of children with disabilities and their child's professional. Knowledge of the specific communication skills needed to secure trust is unclear. The current study investigated the relationship between parent evaluation of professionals' communication skills and parent trust of professionals. A total of 165 parents responded to an online survey during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results indicated that professionals' communication skills had a significant and moderately positive relationship with the parent trust of professionals. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that parents' ratings of professionals' communication competence, and professionals' use of in-person communication were the only predictors of parent trust of special education professionals, even when other factors were considered. This study's findings draw attention to the importance communication skills may have in establishing and maintaining trusting relationships with parents.

Challenges of parents with children with intellectual and neurodevelopmental disorders during COVID-19: Experiences and their impact on mental health

Parents of children with intellectual and neurodevelopmental disorders are a highly burdened group that faces additional challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, parents of children with intellectual and neurodevelopmental disorders (N = 600) living in Canada participated in a cross-sectional online survey. More than 96% of the parents reported facing additional challenges due to the pandemic. COVID-19-related stressors correlated with poorer mental and physical health. Parents who reported a higher amount of COVID-19-related stressors also reported more post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Resuming and implementing new services for children with intellectual and neurodevelopmental disorders and their parents will be key in alleviating the challenges for those parents.

Documenting the advocacy experiences among eight Latina mothers of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Internationally, it has been recognized that parent involvement is an essential component of the special education process for children with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD). Parent involvement often includes parents advocating for their children. However, many parents face barriers when advocating to obtain appropriate special education services for their children with IDD. In the United States, Latinx families face greater systemic barriers (e.g., language and cultural differences) to access services for their own children with IDD. To this end, parents may turn to parent advocacy training programs to learn about special education and feel empowered to advocate for school services for their own children and other families of children with disabilities. Yet, it is unclear how Latinx families advocate for services for their own children and for other Latinx families of children with disabilities after attending an advocacy program. We designed a study to explore the advocacy experiences of eight Latinx families one year after attending an advocacy program. Participants reported that they used three advocacy strategies when advocating for their own children with disabilities: knowledge of special education law, non‐adversarial advocacy strategies, and requests for data. Notably, some participants reported not having an advocacy experience due to the COVID‐19 pandemic. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

The Impact of Covid-19 on Parents of Children with Disability: Educational Needs and Challenges

During the Corona pandemic, parents of children with disabilities experienced unprecedented situations. The aim of this study was to identify the educational needs and challenges which prevented parents from providing adequate support to their children during the outbreak. An online survey was launched on June 4, 2020, to gather information from 638 parents of children with disabilities. The findings revealed that 60% of parents need assistance in implementing Individual Education Program activities. Similarly, 71.7% of parents reported that the centers had only spent less than one-hour on-line per day educating the children. Significant challenges emerge as a result of parents' inability to cope with the load and their loss of hope in helping children, which varies depending on the severity of the condition, with severe disabilities posing the greatest challenge. According to the study, special education centers should follow defined protocols that focus on parents' educational needs, as well as establish proactive approaches for providing support to parents of children who require special care.

Investigation of Anxiety and Depression in the Parents of Children Receiving Special Education for Speech and Language Therapy during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective To investigate the effects of possible disruptions in education and follow-up on anxiety and depression in parents of children receiving special education support for speech and language therapy. Materials and Methods A total of 111 parents whose children required special education due to speech and/or language impairments took part in the study. After obtaining the history of children receiving speech and language therapy that was interrupted due to the pandemic and the demographic information of the parents who filled out the questionnaire, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was used to determine the parents' anxiety level and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale was used to determine their depression level. Results Due to COVID-19, 63.1 percent of the participants were unable to access special education for more than two months. While 62.2 percent of parents who completed the questionnaires did not feel hopeless or pessimistic about their children's future, 16.2 percent did. The parents who filled out the forms had high trait anxiety and medium-high state anxiety, according to their State Trait Anxiety scores. There was a positive statistically significant relationship between state anxiety and trait anxiety. Conclusion The anxiety levels of the parents were already high due to the situation of their children, and the interruption of education may have added to their anxiety.

Eudaimonic and Hedonic Psychological Well-Being among Parents of Children with Cancer before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study.

The main aim of this study was to analyze the eudaimonic and hedonic well-being of parents of children with cancer by considering the role of a global stressor-the COVID-19 pandemic. One group of parents was assessed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the other was assessed before it occurred. It was hypothesized that there may be a cumulative effect of stress, with parents expressing lower well-being during the pandemic due to the accumulation of stress related to their child's illness and the pandemic. In total, 310 parents participated in the study. Following propensity score matching, 111 pairs were established. The results of the comparative analyses did not support the hypothesis, as the groups did not differ significantly in their reported levels of either eudaimonic (F (1.93) = 0.11, p = 0.75, ηp2= 0.001) or hedonic well-being (F (1.100) = 0.02, p = 0.89, ηp2 = 0.0001). These findings showed a limited effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being of parents of children with cancer. The oncological disease of a child is likely to be the central and the strongest factor for the parents, meaning that an additional, global stressor does not cause deeper exacerbation of their well-being.

"Together in a pressure cooker": Parenting children with disabilities during the COVID-19 lockdown.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has had a disproportionate and unprecedented impact on children with disabilities, their parents and families. This impact has been particularly evident during periods of lockdowns and severe restrictions. OBJECTIVE: This study employed the social model of disability to illuminate negative and positive experiences of Israeli parents of children with disabilities during the first COVID-19 lockdown, as well as the way social environments, particularly educational and welfare services, shape that experience. METHODS: The study draws upon thematic analysis of written responses of 80 Israeli parents to open-ended questions. RESULTS: Three main themes were found: (1) lack of responsiveness of both informal and formal supports to family needs, mainly in the educational and welfare systems; (2) juggling multiple roles and tasks along with the parents' routinely intensive caregiving role; and (3) the impact on the family's wellbeing and relationships. CONCLUSION: These results are discussed in light of the social model of disability, showing how social restrictions and barriers affect both negative and positive experiences of these families. Also discussed are practical implications for future crises.

Elevated Levels of COVID-19-Related Stress and Mental Health Problems Among Parents of Children with Developmental Disorders During the Pandemic.

COVID-19 not only threatens people's physical health, but also creates disruption in work and social relationships. Parents may even experience additional strain resulting from childcare responsibilities. A total of 129 parents participated in this study. Parents of children with developmental disorders showed higher levels of parenting stress, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms than did parents of children with typical development. Parenting stress and health worries were positively related to mental health symptoms. The association between having a child with developmental disorders and mental health symptoms was mediated by parenting stress. This study provides a timely investigation into the stress and mental health of parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications on web-based parenting skills interventions, online psychological support services, and family-friendly policy initiatives are discussed.

Psychological characteristics of parents in a Paediatric Outpatient during the SARS-CoV-2 Epidemic.

With the outbreak and spread of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), there has been a significant increase in the number of children infected, and some severe infection cases and neonatal cases have been reported. The parents or other family members who come to our paediatric clinic inevitably experience panic, tension and anxiety. The generation of these emotions has seriously affected the normal order of outpatient treatment and has led to many children not receiving an accurate diagnosis or proper treatment. This situation is not conducive to the control of the epidemic or the children's physical and mental health. Through summarizing parents' behaviours and emotional characteristics during the epidemic period, we hope to develop relevant coping and nursing strategies to ensure better control of the epidemic and to protect the physical and mental health of children.