The study aimed to explore the child rearing experiences of caregivers of children with special needs in Mandaue, City Cebu. The researcher wanted to determine the common themes associated with child rearing experiences with children with special needs. This study utilized a qualitative research design specifically phenomenographical approach as a method in gathering the nature of the experience of respondents in child rearing their children. Individual voicerecorded interviews and field notes between the researcher and participants were utilized for obtainment and elaboration of data. The study was conducted in P.R.I.M.E Center Foundation and One Life Allied Medical Clinic. The respondents were parents, grandmother and nanny of children with special needs with child rearing experience. Ten (10) caregivers of children with special needs participated in the study.
Ten (10) respondents participated in the study and four (4) major themes were found. First, attitudes of a caregiver such as being caring, understanding, accepting, patient, supportive and tolerating and emotions towards child-rearing such as happiness, fear, pity and sadness in different situations they encountered with their child. Second, the presence of challenges of child-rearing is inevitable while dealing and handling child‟s behavior, balancing other areas of occupation especially work, rest and sleep and managing relationships with family, relatives, peers and community and dealing with social stigma. Third, various caregiving practices and strategies were made by the caregivers in resolving those challenges. Those caregiving strategies and practices differ based from the goals, condition, circumstance and motive of the caregivers. Fourth, caregivers envisions for their child‟s future is valuable since it is the purpose of their efforts in child-rearing. The way they see the future of their child reflects on the way they view their child as a person holistically.
Based on the results of the study, an in-depth learning and understanding of the child-rearing experiences of caregivers of children with special needs was provided in an Occupational Therapy perspective. The four (4) common themes that emerged namely attitudes and emotions of caregivers towards child rearing, challenges encountered in child rearing, different caregiving practices and strategies in resolving challenges and envisions for the child‟s future. It was discussed thoroughly to serve as a basis for further studies and development due to the limited number of supporting studies that explores on child-rearing a child with special needs in an Asian context within the lens of Occupational Therapy that can be useful to the profession.
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