Parents’ reactions to their child’s placement in special-education kindergartens: a grounded theory study in Israel

ABSTRACT The aim of this grounded theory study was to understand parents’ emotions and coping strategies regarding their child’s initial placement in an Israeli special education kindergarten. Proper placement is essential to effectively support children with developmental disabilities (DD), yet parents tend to approach assessment procedures with dread. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were held with 60 parents of children with DD (ages 4-6) who underwent placement procedures in the previous two years. Qualitative content analysis revealed three themes: external emotions of worry about the future, shame, fear of stigma, and trust issues towards professional staff; internal coping strategies of rationalisation and denial; external coping strategies of concealment and search for help. Findings revealed parents’ emotions were directed towards their surroundings, whilst coping strategies were directed both inwards and outwards. Therefore, the majority of the parents’ emotions and coping strategies focused on external social aspects. This in-depth understanding of parents’ reactions to the placement process may help educational staff focus their support on external attributes, thereby strengthening the staff-parent partnership and easing the entry process of children with DD into special education kindergartens.