Gilson, K. M., Davis, E., Corr, L., Stevenson, S., Williams, K., Reddihough, D.,… & Waters, E. (2018). Enhancing support for the mental well-being of parents of children with a disability: developing a resource based on the perspectives of parents and professionals. Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, 43(4), 463-472.
This article is intended to provide the parents whose children have a disability with the necessary source to be able to handle the process of caregiving. Parents and caregivers experience a lot of stress due to the lack of close communication, socialization, and free time to rest and dedicate to their hobbies. Thus, parental mental health deserves more attention since mental well-being directly affects children and other family members. This independent research was conducted by the primary author Kim-Michelle Gilson who has a postdoctoral fellowship, and his colleagues, who also have academic and practitioner fellowships. Since the article was published in the authorized medical journal by professionals who intended to find a way to help caregivers with their struggles, this source is applicable to the research.
Waters, C. L., & Friesen, A. (2019). Parent experiences of raising a young child with multiple disabilities: The transition to preschool. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 44(1), 20-36.
In summary, the resource’s topic is about the experience of the families who raise children with multiple disabilities. It discusses how to prepare children for preschool, considering all the limitations that they might face. Ten parents shared their thought and experience on the topic and participated in the survey to find the most significant process elements. Since they directly had to deal with the obstacles and challenges of adapting their children to social interactions, their experience might be valuable for the research. The article’s authors are the doctoral student and the associate professor, who both study the early intervention and educational policy regarding children with disability. Comparing it to the first article, the focus is primarily made on the specific phase of children’s lives when they are still at the preschool age and is narrower for observation. In total, the article gives a more detailed look at the struggles of parents whose children of an early age have disabilities.
Montirosso, R., Mascheroni, E., Guida, E., Piazza, C., Sali, M. E., Molteni, M., & Reni, G. (2021). Stress symptoms and resilience factors in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health Psychology, 40(7), 428.
The main topic of the article is the impact on the mental resilience of parents and their children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Children with NDD are more exposed to stress and anxiety during the period of the coronavirus pandemic. Their age or sex did not affect the final results, and the Covid-19 was a critical factor. However, those children whose parents demonstrated a low level of resilience eventually affected children. The authors of the article have a degree in phycology, and the main author Eleonora Mascheroni has a PhD degree in the field. The study was partly sponsored by the Italian government. Taking care of a child with disabilities is already a tough challenge for the parents, but in the conditions of the pandemic, it is even more challenging. This source provides the readers with the different sides of childcare under the impact of the external factors and how they affect the family.
Jackson, J. B., Steward, S. R., Roper, S. O., & Muruthi, B. A. (2018). Support group value and design for parents of children with severe or profound intellectual and developmental disabilities. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 48(12), 4207-4221.
The study researches the value of support groups for parents whose children struggle with severe disabilities. It showed that the participants, by the end of the experiment, felt so much better with the group support. By communicating with other parents who go through similar situations and getting encouragement and understanding from others. However, some parents were not fully satisfied because their child’s diseases were so rare that they could not discuss them with anyone, even within the support groups. The lead author of the article is a PhD psychology professor with more than ten years of practice and several scientific publications. This article posted in the scientific journal suggests one more way of helping parents and providing them emotional support during the care of children with disabilities.
References
Gilson, K. M., Davis, E., Corr, L., Stevenson, S., Williams, K., Reddihough, D.,… & Waters, E. (2018). Enhancing support for the mental well-being of parents of children with a disability: developing a resource based on the perspectives of parents and professionals. Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, 43(4), 463-472.
Jackson, J. B., Steward, S. R., Roper, S. O., & Muruthi, B. A. (2018). Support group value and design for parents of children with severe or profound intellectual and developmental disabilities. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 48(12), 4207-4221.
Montirosso, R., Mascheroni, E., Guida, E., Piazza, C., Sali, M. E., Molteni, M., & Reni, G. (2021). Stress symptoms and resilience factors in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health Psychology, 40(7), 428.
Waters, C. L., & Friesen, A. (2019). Parent experiences of raising a young child with multiple disabilities: The transition to preschool. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 44(1), 20-36.