Mikilvægi mæðra í skólagöngu barna með greiningu á einhverfurófi

Abstract

Markmið þessarar rannsóknar var að kanna reynslu mæðra barna með greiningu á einhverfurófi af skólagöngu barnanna og sýn umsjónarkennara á virka þátttöku þeirra í skólanum. Rannsóknin var eigindleg og gagna aflað með hálfopnum viðtölum við fjórar mæður sem áttu börn á unglingastigi í grunnskólum á höfuðborgarsvæðinu skólaárið 2013-14 og umsjónarkennara barnanna. Kenningar um sjónarhorn á fötlun, félagslega mótun og félagsauð voru notaðar til að greina og túlka niðurstöður. Niðurstöður leiddu í ljós að mæðurnar gegndu mikilvægu hlutverki í námi barna sinna. Börnin treystu á mæðurnar en tjáðu sig lítið um þarfir sínar í skólanum. Skólaumhverfið reyndi mikið á börnin sem áttu erfitt með að fóta sig. Viðhorf og skilningur umsjónarkennara hafði mikil áhrif á líðan barna og mæðra en þær voru nær eingöngu í samskiptum við þá. Þær mæður sem höfðu átt í samskiptum við skólastjórnendur höfðu af því slæma reynslu. Samstarf heimilis og skóla var oftast óformlegt og höfðu skólarnir sjaldnast frumkvæði að samskiptum. Hlutverk umsjónarkennaranna var óskýrt og mótaðist af ríkjandi viðhorfum innan skólanna. Sumum þeirra fannst erfitt að mæta þörfum barnanna í stórum nemendahópum sem hentuðu börnunum illa. Stuðningur við börnin var ólíkur eftir skólum en var sjaldan mótaður út frá þörfum þeirra. Einn skólanna skar sig úr og var samstarf og stuðningur veittur út frá þörfum barnsins með góðum árangri og endurspeglaðist í góðu samstarfi heimilis og skóla og ánægju barns, móður og umsjónarkennara.

The goal of this study is to explore the school experiences of mothers of children on the autistic spectrum. The classroom teachers of the children were also interviewed to gain insight into their involvement and attitudes toward the children, in addition to how the teachers and mothers view their roles. The study was qualitative and the information was gathered with half-open interviews with four mothers who had teenage children in the upper levels of Reykjavik elementary schools in the school year 2013-2014. Theories of perspectives on disabilities and impairments, social contructionism and social capital were used to analyze and interpret results. The results show that the mothers played an important role in their childrens education. The children put their trust in their mothers but didn´t express their needs much in school. The school environment was difficult for the children who found it hard to find their bearings. The understanding and attitude of the classroom teacher had a profound impact on the childs and mothers wellbeing as they communicated almost solely with them. The mothers who had communicated with school administrators did not have positive experiences. Cooperation between the school and the homes was informal and the schools rarely initiated them. The role of the classroom teachers was unclear and shaped by prevailing views within each school. Some found it difficult to meet the childrens needs in a large student group which suited them poorly. Support for the children varied between schools but was rarely developed with the needs of the children in mind. One school stood out from the others and had the needs of the child in the forefront. It was successful in its cooperation between the school and the home which was reflected in the positive experience of the child, the mother and the class teacher. .