UPBRINGING METHODS OF PARENTS WITH CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES

Abstract

In the last ten years, establishing and maintaining boundaries in raising children, as a basic pedagogical process of socialisation, has become less researched. This issue is even less explored with young children with disabilities; the emphasis is on the developmental outcomes of the particular programme and its scientific foundation. In contrast, the fundamental function of interpersonal relationships in a child’s proximal environment is not interesting for scholars. In other words, there is a scientific bias towards pedagogical strategies within families, i.e. raising strategies. However, basic knowledge from the field of pedagogy and psychology speaks in favour of its long term outcomes for one’s autonomy or heteronomy in adulthood. Therefore, regarding their parenting strategies, an interview with parents of children with disabilities (N=100) was conducted during February and March 2020. The existence of two significant categories of parenting strategies was established: activation strategies, i.e., rewards, and inhibition strategies, i.e., punishments. Parents use food, tablets/mobile phones and preferred activities as rewards while using time-out, withdrawal of the preferred object and physical punishment as punishments. Obtained results indicate that parents of children with developmental disabilities don't have adequate social support for their parental roles, which should be addressed in the future through scientifically based programmes for parents.