Impacts of COVID-19 on the school experience of children and adolescents with special educational needs and disabilities

Dvorsky, Melissa R.; Shroff, Delshad; Larkin Bonds, W. Bianca; Steinberg, Amanda; Breaux, Rosanna; Becker, Stephen P.

doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101635

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Other studies have focussed broadly on children with SEN (e.g., Dvorsky et al, 2023;Lipkin & Crepeau-Hobson, 2023;Whitley et al, 2021). Sancho et al (2021) found that children aged 2 to 12 with SEN (n = 1225) experienced the impacts of the lockdowns and social distancing at an amplified level.…”

Section: Key Messagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parent perceptions of social well‐being in children with special educational needs during COVID‐19: A mixed‐methods analysis

Osman,

Whitley

2024

Child

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BackgroundChildren's educational experiences worldwide have been significantly impacted as a result of global school closures during the COVID‐19 pandemic of Spring 2020. A growing number of studies aim to analyse impacts of these changes on social well‐being, with limited studies placing an emphasis on the experiences of students with special educational needs (SENs). This article focusses on parent perspectives regarding impacts of school closures on social well‐being in Canadian children with SEN.MethodsThis study uses a mixed‐methods approach, drawing from both qualitative and quantitative survey data from Spring/Summer 2020. Participants (n = 263) were eligible for participation if they were a parent/guardian of a child or adolescent with an SEN. We first conducted a descriptive analysis of the key variables, namely, social well‐being, grade level of the child, internet and device availability, and the presence of other school‐aged children in the home (single child vs. multiple children). Next, we explored the relationship between these using a bivariate correlation. Finally, open‐ended responses were analysed using an inductive approach to qualitative thematic analysis.ResultsThe majority of parents expressed concern for their child's social well‐being during the Spring 2020 school closures, with increased concerns for younger children. According to parents, children experienced communication barriers to peer interaction and many experienced emotional difficulties as a result. Technology was described as critical for some in maintaining social connections. Parents raised concerns about the impact of limited peer interaction on broader social skill development, in the short and long term. A small number of participants noted feelings of relief and reduced anxiety among their children with SEN.ConclusionsFindings highlight parent views of the negative impact of the pandemic on social well‐being and the critical role in‐person schooling plays in supporting peer relationships for children with SEN.

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Section: Key Messagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parent perceptions of social well‐being in children with special educational needs during COVID‐19: A mixed‐methods analysis

Osman,

Whitley

2024

Child

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“…Several factors contribute to this negative impact, such as socio-economic status (family type and family income), access to technology, the learning environment, the quality of online class resources, and feedback from teachers ( Cortés-Albornoz et al, 2023 ). Dvorsky et al (2023) summarized challenges faced by children and adolescents with special educational needs and dis/abilities during the COVID-19 period. Regarding school supports and services, individualized interventions for academics and behavioral supports, school-based health and mental health services have been discontinued.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although there are many studies on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s wellbeing, the wellbeing of migrant children, a vulnerable group in China, was even more neglected in the context of COVID-19-influenced online classes ( Fore, 2020 ; Tso et al, 2020 ; Abdo Ahmad et al, 2023 ; Dvorsky et al, 2023 ; Miao et al, 2023 ; Pampati et al, 2023 ). Furthermore, under the COVID-19 context, the successful transition from the traditional education environment to an online teaching-learning one was not an overnight event, as it faced various obstacles and challenges during this period ( Crawford et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: the wellbeing of Chinese migrant children—a case study in Shanghai

Ding,

Wu,

Zhou

2024

Front. Psychol.

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IntroductionThis study uses Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model as its theoretical framework to consider the findings of an investigation of the emotional, social, and physical wellbeing of Chinese migrant children and lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic in urban areas. This study expands our perspective by combining the views of students, parents, and teachers to explore the emotional, social and physical wellbeing of migrant children in Shanghai who were participating in online learning during the COVID-19.MethodsObservation and semi-structured interviews were carried out to collect data for this case study. Thirty-one migrant children, nine parents, 10 teachers and a school principal from a Shanghai junior high school participated in this research. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis.Results and DiscussionThe findings indicated that although video-recorded lessons were high quality, it put pressure on migrant children due to the lessons containing only new material with no reviews and reduced opportunities for them to interact with their own teachers. In addition, the differences in study progress between the migrant children and the local children that showed up during the online learning, and neglect from teachers and policymakers, made the migrant children anxious, angry and confused about their future. Besides, parents install monitors at home to support their children’s online learning, but it had the opposite effect and simply provoked increased conflicts between children and their parents. Finally, although the online lessons have affected the optical health of students, the subsequent additional cooking lessons have mitigated the optical health problem and strengthened the connections between home and school.ConclusionThe inequalities of education encountered by migrant children during the COVID-19 period have made them realize the disparities they have suffered in Shanghai. The exposure of this problem raises the prospect of a reform of educational policies for migrant children in the future.

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Feasibility study of a telehealth school-based behavioral parent training group program for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Chung,

Lai,

Hawkey

et al. 2024

Journal of Pediatric Psychology

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Objective To evaluate the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of Telehealth Behavioral Parent Training (T-BPT), a school telehealth group intervention for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with a companion training program for school clinicians. Methods T-BPT was developed in an iterative three-phase design in partnership with community stakeholders during the COVID-19 pandemic. School clinicians (N = 4) delivered T-BPT over 8 weeks to parents (N = 21, groups of 5–6 per school) of children (Grades 2–5) with ADHD while simultaneously receiving training and consultation from PhD-level study trainers. A single-arm open trial was used to assess feasibility, engagement, and preliminary efficacy. Results Parents and school clinicians endorsed high feasibility, acceptability, and usability of T-BPT. Parent attendance was high (M = 94.6%) and a majority of parents (66.7%) attended all eight sessions. Preliminary outcomes indicate moderate to large reductions in parent-reported ADHD symptoms (ω2 = .36), functional and clinical global impairment (ω2s= .21 and .19, respectively), and distance learning challenges (ω2 = .22). Conclusions Results were in line with in-person delivery, indicating promising feasibility of school telehealth BPT groups. This study also provided further support for the feasibility of the remote training model for school clinicians. Implications of the commonly endorsed barriers and benefits beyond COVID-19 and relevance to under resourced communities are also discussed.

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Impacts of COVID-19 on the school experience of children and adolescents with special educational needs and disabilities

Cited by 3 publications

References 48 publications

Parent perceptions of social well‐being in children with special educational needs during COVID‐19: A mixed‐methods analysis

Parent perceptions of social well‐being in children with special educational needs during COVID‐19: A mixed‐methods analysis

Online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: the wellbeing of Chinese migrant children—a case study in Shanghai

Feasibility study of a telehealth school-based behavioral parent training group program for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

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