Teachers as a Source of Support: Perceptions of Parents of Children With ADHD During COVID-19 Distance Learning

Abstract

This qualitative research, conducted during the COVID-19 distance-learning days, was designed to understand the perceptions of parents of primary-school-age children with ADHD of teachers as a source of support. To date, many studies have demonstrated the positive contribution of teacher-parent interaction to children's school performance, an issue of special relevance to children with ADHD. The lack of face-to-face interaction with teachers, the long response time, and the deficiency of socialization in the traditional classroom, were some of the main difficulties students encountered in relation to distance learning during COVID-19. Children with ADHD often experience difficulties managing emotions, starting and completing tasks, and maintaining social connections. These difficulties were further encumbered by the change in their academic support systems.

Method: Semi-structured open interviews were conducted with 20 mothers of primary-school-age children with ADHD, following the research protocol designed for this study. Thematic qualitative data analysis was used.

Results: Four main themes were identified: confusion, support, abandonment, and parents' initiative. Some of the mothers experienced teachers' support, while others estimated it as minor, especially during the first five months of the pandemic, and were under the impression that teachers were unable to provide significant support to them and to their children.

Conclusions: A crisis and distance learning call for educational teams to practice different educational methods to support children with special needs, and to maintain constant communication with them and with their parents.



Author Information
Asnat Dor, Max Stern Academic College of Emek Yezreel, Israel
Oshra Shmuel-Nir, Max Stern Academic College of Emek Yezreel, Israel

Paper Information
Conference: ECE2021
Stream: Education & Difference: Gifted Education

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Posted by James Alexander Gordon