Helen Phtiaka

Department of EducationUniversity of Cyprus

Helen Phtiaka

Department of EducationUniversity of Cyprus

ParentsThe daily routine

European ConferenceLarnaca

12-14/5/11

The background

1929: School for the Blind

1979: 47/79 Law for the Education of Children with Special Needs

1999: 113(I)/99 Integration Law

2001: Implementation of the Law

The Research Project

2004-2006: Evaluation of theimplementation of the new legislation

2006: Research ReportPhtiaka, Michaelidou, Tsouris & Vlami

Research Goals

Attitudes towards inclusion

Adequacy of the current context of inclusion

Effectiveness of the implemented model of inclusion

Target groups

General school teachers Special school teachers Educational Psychologists Ministry officials Parents

Why talk to parents?

Their views are often overlooked in research

Very limited relevant research information in Cyprus

They are the most important part of the children’s life

They influence policy and practice

Families participating

Children with diagnosed special needsVarious types of disability Attend ordinary schools

47 children45 families2 nursery schools7 primary schools

General Findings

maintain positive attitude towards inclusion overallaim for inclusion as early as possibleface many difficulties with the implementation of inclusion as practiced today

Parents’ voice

‘It was terrible in the special school… If you visit there you will need a month to recover…’

‘Of course I believe in inclusion! A special school bus passes every day in front of our house. The children in the bus have a strange look in their face, as if they were dead!’

General findings

They seem to face particular problems with: curriculumdaily programmegeneral teachers’ attitudes

Parents’ voice

‘At the beginning teachers were afraid to have Costas in their class… they did not know how to teach him…’

‘John is left in a corner playing… He hates going to school… The teacher does not help him at all…’

General Findings

There are also problems with procedure:

Initial referralEvaluationRe-evaluationDelays

Parents’ voice

‘Nobody knows what to do!Everything is unprofessional and really difficult…’

General Findings

Most importantly however, parents seem to face problems with the daily home routine which is imposed upon them by the demands of the school and the inclusion practices adopted. Lack of support and understanding on behalf of educators and professionals seem to create a lot of psychological pressure.

Parents’ voice

‘Look! Everybody is waiting for their child’s birth, to take it in their arms, to feel peace! We never had that! It was a struggle from the beginning!’

General Findings

There is also –still- an awful lot of social pressure.

Parents’ voice

‘I used to have a problem that everybody was watching him as if he were an alien… People here have a problem with these children…’

General Findings

All this leads to serious psychological and social problems in the family, a high divorse rate in families with disabled childrenand requests for support

General Findings

when none of this is availablethere is a complacentand calm disappointment

Parents’ voice

‘Our time extension in the primary school is now over… The SENCO suggested to take him to a special school or a special unit, but I rejected both of them, because when my child goes there he sits many hours and ‘our’ legs have started to shrink and ‘we’ shall need surgery. Therefore, I prefer him to go to his therapies, so I told her I am not interested in the secondary school… He will stay at home with me… He will go to his therapies and we shall do at home whatever we used to do before…’

Ending question

What is our role as educators?What is our role as teachers?What is our role as researchers?in this situation…