Educational supports urged for children with disabilities

Parents of children with disabilities need a range of supports to maximise their academic development, a report recommends.

The Economic and Social Research Institute report published today, found that mothers of children with disabilities played a leading role in their child’s academic development.

Gender also influenced the children’s academic achievement — parents of girls were more likely to expect their child to attain higher educational qualifications.

The report, commissioned by the National Disability Authority, used data on nine and 13-year-olds from the Growing Up in Ireland study to assess the expectations of parents of children with disabilities.

It found the educational level of mothers strongly influenced the academic expectations they held for their children.

Mothers with a Leaving Certificate or lower educational attainment were 12 times more likely than mothers with a degree to have lower expectations for their children.

Also, parents who reported high levels of conflict with their children, or those who were not ‘close’ with their children had lower educational expectations for their offspring.

The report also shows that parental academic expectations play a crucial role in young people’s self-concept and the extent to which they dislike school.

Among the measures proposed is regular feedback and support from schools to parents so that progress and challenges can be fully understood and supported.

There should be targeted supports for children with disabilities from disadvantaged backgrounds while those finding schoolwork difficult should be given opportunities in other ways.