Families With Special Needs Children In Turkey During The Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic period, distance education is attempted at all levels of education in Turkey and the world. The present study examines how the education process is shaped during the Covid-19 period for children with special needs and their families. The case study design was implemented as a qualitative research method. The study group sample was composed of 11 parents who reside in various districts of the city of İstanbul and who have children with special needs attending special education rehabilitation centers. The interviews conducted in the scope of the study showed that the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic process on children with special needs had behavioral and social-emotional reflections. Behavioral problems and reflections in behavioral difficulties in children with special needs were observed as a disability in comprehension due to developmental issues, hypermobility, and pandemic period's positive influence. In terms of reflections of social-emotional problems, children with special needs experience shyness due to being ridiculed. The study concluded that children feel the need to go out of their home and feel fear/anxiety and longing for the family to move to another city. The research results showed that children could not perform activities due to boredom, screen addiction, and missing friends. Interviews suggested that the Covid-19 process created specific needs and problems for parents and social-emotional reflections. Problems experienced by the families were determined as health problems, inability to spare time for other siblings, conflict between spouses, distress due to not being able to go out, mother being the only parent responsible for child- care, financial difficulties and educational guidance. Overall results of the study suggest that necessary measures need to be taken to ensure that children with special needs receive one-to-one education.