A six-week parenting program for parents of children with learning disabilities in Greece

Abstract   Children with learning disabilities have been shown to experience complex emotional and conduct difficulties due to late diagnosis and inappropriate parental management. Parenting support have been deemed necessary for a holistic management of learning disabilities. The current presentation reports on the methodology and initial results of a program offered to parents of children aged 8-12 years with learning difficulties at the region of Crete in Greece, during the school year 2020-2021. The program aimed at improving parenting skills and parent-child interaction, through a short training (four meetings) and a set of seven techniques offered to parents for boosting children’s positive response. All children diagnosed with a learning disability by an interdisciplinary team of experts serving a mobile unit, were approached and their parents were offered a personalised intervention plan and a package of counselling services including a six-week program, based on the “A Six Week Parenting Program For Child Compliance” (Cipani, 2005). Parents were randomly assigned to an intervention (n = 40, 6-week parenting program) and a control group (n = 29, no intervention). A pre- and post evaluation design, with self-administered questionnaires, was used to assess changes in parental skills and performance as well as the quality of parent-child interaction (Parenting Style Questionnaire; the Family Quality of Life Scale (FQOL)). Most of the participants were mothers (n = 63), of low educational level (n = 26) and low income (n = 49). Statistically significant improvements were evident in the intervention group at post-intervention level in parenting skills as compared to baseline scores. Significant differences were also observed in the parenting skills at post-intervention level, between the intervention and the control group. Findings are expected to highlight new approaches towards improving the parental role, with an impact on the quality of life of families. Key messages • Training on parenting skills should be included in family support services offered to children with learning disabilities. • Professionals working with learning disabilities should be trained to assess deficits in parenting skills and offer brief counseling to parents.


Issue/problem:
The practice took place in a private school with students from 9 to 15 years old. The purpose of the intervention was to promote the mental health of students. The school's goal was to eliminate school bullying incidents. The phenomenon of school bullying has global dimensions. Description of the problem: The teachers of the school did not consider that they should be involved in issues of mental health of the students and did not take steps to reduce the phenomena of school bullying. In the meetings with the students, which had duration of six months, concepts such as self-esteem, empathy, emotional intelligence, cooperation, respect, stress, failure were analyzed. The causes and consequences of school bullying were discussed. The aim of the meetings was to raise students' awareness to the above issues, to understand themselves and others and to develop teamwork. In the meetings with the students, three basic principles were developed: Facilitate-Respect-Recognize.

Results:
After the end of the practice in the school context, students, teachers and parents completed an evaluation questionnaire anonymously. It turned out that the meetings at school became a cause for discussion in the classroom by 100% and at home by 65%. The students stated that they would not allow school violence or bullying after the meetings. It is noteworthy that one in three teachers did not consider the promotion of mental health as part of their duties while the parents expected the teachers to fulfill this goal 100%. Lessons: It would be especially useful to conduct training seminars for teachers on adult (to enable better communication channels with parents) and child mental health and conflict management. Respectively, the parents should be educated on issues of mental health and psychopedagogy. The innovation of this action was that it involved teachers, parents and students while similar initiatives seldom take place in a Greek school environment. Key messages: Promoting healthy interpersonal relationships at school between students and teachers. Recognizing children's emotions promotes their mental health during school life.
Children with learning disabilities have been shown to experience complex emotional and conduct difficulties due to late diagnosis and inappropriate parental management. Parenting support have been deemed necessary for a holistic management of learning disabilities. The current presentation reports on the methodology and initial results of a program offered to parents of children aged 8-12 years with learning difficulties at the region of Crete in Greece, during the school year 2020-2021. The program aimed at improving parenting skills and parent-child interaction, through a short training (four meetings) and a set of seven techniques offered to parents for boosting children's positive response. All children diagnosed with a learning disability by an interdisciplinary team of experts serving a mobile unit, were approached and their parents were offered a personalised intervention plan and a package of counselling services including a six-week program, based on the ''A Six Week Parenting Program For Child Compliance'' (Cipani, 2005). Parents were randomly assigned to an intervention (n = 40, 6-week parenting program) and a control group (n = 29, no intervention). A pre-and post evaluation design, with self-administered questionnaires, was used to assess changes in parental skills and performance as well as the quality of parent-child interaction (Parenting Style Questionnaire; the Family Quality of Life Scale (FQOL)). Most of the participants were mothers (n = 63), of low educational level (n = 26) and low income (n = 49). Statistically significant improvements were evident in the intervention group at post-intervention level in parenting skills as compared to baseline scores. Significant differences were also observed in the parenting skills at postintervention level, between the intervention and the control group. Findings are expected to highlight new approaches towards improving the parental role, with an impact on the quality of life of families.

Key messages:
Training on parenting skills should be included in family support services offered to children with learning disabilities.
Professionals working with learning disabilities should be trained to assess deficits in parenting skills and offer brief counseling to parents.
iii612 European Journal of Public Health, Volume 32 Supplement 3, 2022