Children who experience difficulties with learning: Mother and child perceptions of social competence

Abstract

There is an emphasis on the social competence of children who have difficulties with learning as a significant percentage also experience reduced social skills. Social competence in the classroom is becoming increasingly important as the school curriculum incorporates group work and socially directed activities for purposes of learning. A goal of occupational therapy for children with learning difficulties and their parents is that they 'fit' into their social group and form friendships. While teachers are able to identify social skills that are required for life at school, less is known about how children perceive their interactions. This study aimed to explore social interaction during occupational performance at school and at home from the perception of children with learning difficulties and their mothers. Participants included 10, 8- to 12-year-old children who had difficulties with learning and their 10 mothers. Children were interviewed using semi-structured focus groups. Mothers participated in semi-structured interviews. Four main themes emerged from this study, including the importance of social skills, effects of poor social skills, difficulties with planning and problem solving in social situations and impact of social competence on a child's occupational performance. The study revealed that social participation is perceived to be an integral part of the child's ability to participate in occupational performance, and that children have definite perspectives on the importance of social competence. Children in this study indicated that their social skills were adequate when in an one-to-one situation but not in a group.

Children with developmental dyslexia showed greater sleep disturbances than controls, including problems initiating and maintaining sleep

“…DD is the most frequent specific learning disorder in European children, with a prevalence ranging from 5.0% to 17.5% . This disorder may be characterised by specific reading deficits and visual, auditory and motor alterations , minor neurological signs , social difficulties and internalising problems , which further contribute to the impairment associated with the disorder. Related conditions, such as putative sleep alterations in children with dyslexia, have been overlooked.…”

The facilitators and barriers encountered by South African parents regarding sensory integration occupational therapy

“…The development of a collaborative relationship between parent and occupational therapist in intervention for children with learning difficulties or developmental delay is stressed both in the literature and based on the clinical experience of Anderson and Hinojosa 4 . The importance of occupational therapists working collaboratively with parents to ensure the service meets the child and family's valued needs is also a common recommendation in previous parent perspective studies on OT/SI 1,5,6 and in other populations 7 . When using OT/ SI, communication with parents is a structural element measured on the Ayres Sensory Integration Fidelity Measure© 8 .…”

“…When using OT/ SI, communication with parents is a structural element measured on the Ayres Sensory Integration Fidelity Measure© 8 . This involves parent collaboration in goal setting and education regarding the influence of sensory integration on valued activities and participation in contexts such as home, school and the community 7 . Literature indicates however that it is possible that various enabling or inhibiting factors may have influenced this parent-occupational therapist relationship and its impact on the participants' perceptions and experiences of OT/SI 1 .…”

Robo therapist: a sustainable approach to teach basic expressions for special needs children in Malaysia

“…Special needs are an umbrella term for staggering array of diagnoses [3] but this research will focus on special needs children who are either a slow learner, Down syndrome or autistic. These children suffer from a common characteristic impairment which appear as disability to interpret social cues as well as a failure in social gaze when communicating [4][5][6]. They are having some difficulties to recognize and respond appropriately to emotional expression with the people around them.…”