Assessment of Coping Strategies Adopted by Parents of the Children in Kwara State School for Special Needs

Abstract

Parents of children with special needs have to deal with unique challenges that require
special strategies to cope with. Therefore, this study assessed coping strategies among
parents with children with special needs in Kwara State. Five research objectives were raised
and translated to research questions. A stratified random sampling technique was used in
selecting a total of 100 respondents from the study area. The instrument used was a
questionnaire. Data were analyzed using a mean, standard deviation. The findings of the
study revealed that parents of special needs children face different challenges associated with
parenting, such as financial implication (x̄ =1.50), accessibility of suitable school (x̄ =1.63), and
securing appropriate educational resources (x̄ =1.73). Some coping strategies they adopted
include learning about the child's special needs from child healthcare providers (x̄ =2.34),
praying and believing in the child (x̄ =2.69), cooperating with school staff on special need
education (x̄ =2.38). It can be concluded that parents adopt adequate coping strategies that
effectively manage their special needs children and greatly influence the academic and social
outcomes of their special needs children. It was recommended that the government should
provide funding to local community centers to create and maintain support groups for
parents of children with special needs.