ABSTRACT

Children with special needs have encountered many challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, no studies have focused on the Quality of life (QoL) of children with specific learning disabilities (SpLD). This study aimed first to examine the physical, emotional and school dimensions of QoL in a group of primary school children with SpLD. The second goal was to investigate the extent to which the experience and resilience of their mothers were related to the children’s QoL. The sample included 35 children with SpLD and 85 typically developing (TD) children, and their mothers. Three standardised questionnaires were filled in by the mothers. The findings showed that, compared to TD children, those with SpLD reported worse physical health, learning processes and school-related emotional health. Relative to the TD group, the mothers of the children with SpLD experienced more negative emotions and concern towards their children’s difficulties, where these closely correlated with the children’s QoL. Maternal resilience appeared crucial to the emotional health of these children. Our findings were discussed in terms of the need for more inclusive teaching practices that support the learning processes and the psychological health of children with SpLD, and for supporting interventions for their mothers.

摘要

在 COVID-19 大流行期间，有特殊需要的儿童遇到了许多挑战。然而，没有研究关注特定学习障碍（SpLD）儿童的生活质量（QoL）。本研究旨在首先检查一组 SpLD 小学生的生活质量、情绪和学校维度。第二个目标是调查母亲的经历和复原力与孩子生活质量的相关程度。样本包括 35 名 SpLD 儿童和 85 名典型发育 (TD) 儿童及其母亲。母亲填写了三份标准化问卷。研究结果表明，与 TD 儿童相比，SpLD 患者的身体健康、学习过程和与学校相关的情绪健康状况较差。相对于TD组，SpLD患儿的母亲对孩子的困难有更多的负面情绪和担忧，这些与孩子的生活质量密切相关。母亲的复原力似乎对这些孩子的情绪健康至关重要。我们的研究结果讨论了是否需要更具包容性的教学实践来支持 SpLD 儿童的学习过程和心理健康，以及支持对其母亲的干预。