Abstract:

The role of parents in the education of children with developmental disabilities is often neglected, although the potential of parents in shaping educational policy and practise is great. The parental perspective on the education of children with developmental disabilities is extremely complex and characterised by various challenges, such as administrative barriers, lack of resources (adequately trained professionals, appropriate equipment and spaces for learning) as well as discrimination and stigmatisation.
The parental perspective on the education of children with developmental disabilities provides a valuable insight into the challenges and opportunities that exist in the education system. One of the research objectives of the Platform 50+ project was to examine the harmonisation process of the national legislation of the Republic of Croatia with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. As part of this objective, the research group paid special attention to parents of children with developmental disabilities in the context of education. As part of this qualitative research, 4 focus groups were conducted with parents of children with developmental disabilities. A total of 20 parents in four cities (Zagreb, Rijeka, Split, Osijek) took part. When selecting the participants, care was taken to ensure that they were parents of children aged 0 to 18 years with different types and degrees of developmental disabilities and that they were families with different educational and socio-economic status and from different regions of the Republic of Croatia. The data obtained from the focus groups were analysed using systematic content analysis. The results of the study revealed several problems that, according to the parents of children with developmental disabilities, characterise the education system in the Republic of Croatia.

Parents point to the difficulties of the policy framework, which is characterised by inconsistencies, illogicality and dysfunctionality in the education system. In connection with the challenges in the educational process, they also point to the lack of a continuum of education and future employment of children with developmental disabilities. Parents feel that their role as stakeholders in coproduction of educational policy is not recognised.

This research provided a comprehensive assessment of education policy from the parents' perspective. On this basis, guidelines for improving the educational process of children with developmental disabilities in the Republic of Croatia need to be developed.

Keywords:

Children with developmental disabilities, parents' perspective, educational policy.