Specific learning disabilities and parent involvement and satisfaction with schooling
چکیده
Objective To investigate the degree of parent involvement and satisfaction with their children's education, among children with and without a specific learning disability. Method This is a cross sectional double blind study performed between the years of 2007-2008 in Imam Jaafar Sadegh Elementary and Guidance School in Tehran, Iran. The number of parents participated in the study was 200. Developmental Test of Visual Perception was used in assessing children's disability. Types of parent involvement considered were in-school activities (attending parent-teacher conferences and school meetings, etc) and out-of-school activities (helping with homework, etc). Results Seventeen out of 200 children were diagnosed with specific learning disability. Children with specific learning disability compared to other children had parents who participated in activities related to their children's immediate learning environment rather than getting involved broadly in school general activities. The difference between two groups is highly significant (p<=0.05). Conclusions Parents of children with specific learning disabilities compared to other parents, were most likely to attend a parent-teacher conference, or to request a specific teacher or classroom, but were less likely to volunteer in general school activities and were less likely to be very satisfied with their children's school, teachers, standards, and discipline. They were primarily concerned about their children's immediate learning needs and environment instead of participating broadly in school activities. (Rawal Med J 2009;34: 128-130).