THE OPTIMISATION OF PARENTING PERSONAL POTENTIAL AS AN ASPECT OF SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES OF CHILDREN WITH MOVEMENT DISORDERS

Introduction. In the system of preschool education, parents are full participants of the learning process. It is highly problematic to provide the efficiency of the educational process without involving parents, especially, in the case of younger children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN). Successful psychological and pedagogical guidance to children with movement disorders is hardly possible without the participation of the closest people. The future of children directly depends on the psychological state of their parents and their ability to provide the necessary assistance. Nevertheless, the majority of preventive measures intended for the socialisation of “special” children and their adaptation in the society does not affect the personal issues of adult family members.

The aim of the research was to present the results of psychological and pedagogical experiment directed to the transformative components of personal potential of parents of preschool children with movement disorders during their preparation for education at the comprehensive school.

Methodology and research methods. In the course of the research, the following psychological approaches were used: the questionnaire developed by N. P. Fetiskin “Diagnostics of realisation of the needs for self-development”; S. Maddi’s Hardiness Survey adapted by D. A. Leontiev; N. N. Melnikova’s Adaptive Behavior Strategies questionnaire; K. Shreiner’s Express Diagnostics of the Stress Level. Mathematical processing of empirical data was carried out using the software statistica 12.0 with the application of the Mann–Whitney U-test and the Wilcoxon T-test.

Results and scientific novelty. The motivational, behavioural and emotional components of personal potential in parents of children with movement disorders were identified. In the course of the first stage of the research, it was revealed that parents of children with movement disorders choose disadaptive behavioural strategies. The majority of parents experience a constant fatigue and stress, the need for self-development is on the low level. Frequently, families of children with movement disorders are in the situation of stigmatisation that considerably becomes aggravated and amplifies at the stage of preparation for schooling. 

The developed technology of the psychological and pedagogical support for families will allow optimising components of parenting personal potential and achieving an optimal level of the family social and psychological adaptability when preparing children for entry into schools. The approbation of technology showed considerable positive changes in the parents of experimental group when choosing the strategy of behaviour and attitude towards their children. Moreover, essential positive transformations of motivational and emotional components of personal potentials were identified in the majority of adult participants.

Practical significance. The findings obtained and the conclusions drawn by the authors will be very useful to designing psychological and pedagogical activity in educational institutions. The implementation into practice of the proposed psycho-diagnostic complex will help to develop evidence-based approaches and recommendations for the interaction of educational institutions with adult members of families of children with movement disorders at the stage of preparation for school.

1. Shapkova L. V. Chastnye metodiki adaptivnoj fizicheskoj kul’tury = Private methods of adaptive physical training. Moscow: Publishing House Soviet Sport; 2004. 464 p. (In Russ.)

2. Smirnov A. V. Samoizoljacija lichnosti v kriticheskoj zhiznennoj situacii fizicheskoj invalidnosti = Self-isolation of a person in a critical life situation of physical disability. Ekaterinburg: Ural State Pedagogical University; 2004. 142 p. (In Russ.)

3. Tkacheva V. V. Sem’ja rebenka s otklonenijami v razvitii: diagnostika i konsul’-tirovanie = Family of a child with developmental disabilities: Diagnosis and counselling. Moscow: Publishing House Knigolyub; 2008. 144 p. (In Russ.)

4. Ustinova E. V. Overcoming of emotional disorders in preschool children with cerebral palsy in the process of optimisation of their relations with parents. Defektologiya = Defectology. 2005; 1: 52–57. (In Russ.)

5. Manuel J, Naughton M. J, Balkrishnan R, Smith B, Koman L. A. Stress and adaptation in mothers of children with cerebral palsy. Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 28 (3); 2003: 197–201.

6. Naboichenko E. S. Family as a socio-psychological attractor of the formation of disadaptation in school-age children with atypical appearance. Pedagogicheskoe obrazovanie v Rossii = Pedagogical Education in Russia. 2012; 2: 55–57. (In Russ.)

7. Tracy L. J., Prinz R. J. Potential roles of parental self-efficacy in parent and child adjustment: A review. Clinical Psychology Review. 2005. 25, 3: 341–363.

8. Ovcharova R. V. Roditel’stvo kak psihologicheskij fenomen = Parenthood as a psychological phenomenon. Moscow: Moscow Psychological and Social Institute; 2006. 496 p. (In Russ.)

9. Tkacheva V. V. Tehnologii psihologicheskoj pomoshhi sem'jam detej s otklonenijami v razvitii = Technologies of psychological assistance to families of children with developmental disabilities. Moscow: Publishing Houses AST; Astrel; 2007. 318 p. (In Russ.)

10. Chiarello L. A., Palisano R. J., Maggs J. M., Orlin M. N., Almasri N., Kang L. J., et al. Family priorities for activity and participation of children and youth with cerebral palsy. Physical Therapy. 2010 Sep; 90 (9): 1254–1264.

11. Murphy N. A., Carbone P. S. Promoting the participation of children with disabilities in sports, recreation, and physical activities. American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Children with Disabilities. Pediatrics. 2008 May; 121 (5): 1057–1061.

12. Kang L. J., Palisano R. J., King G. A., Chiarello L. A. A multidimensional model of optimal participation of children with physical disabilities. Disability and Rehabilitation. 2014; 36 (20): 1735–1741.

13. Akopyan M. A. Rol’ semejnogo vospitanija v stanovlenii lichnosti = The role of family education in the formation of personality. Sovremennye problemy psihologii sem'i: fenomeny, metody, koncepcii = Modern problems of family psychology: Phenomena, methods, concepts. Iss. 2. St.-Petersburg: Publishing House IPP; 2008. p. 9–15. (In Russ.)

14. Fetiskin N. P., Kozlov V. V., Manuylov G. М. Social’no-psihologicheskaja diagnostika razvitija lichnosti i malyh grupp = Socio-psychological diagnosis of personality development and small groups. Moscow: Institute of Psychotherapy; 2002. 490 p. (In Russ.)

15. Leontiev D. A., Rasskazova E. I. Test zhiznestojkosti = Test of resilience. Moscow: Publishing House Smysl; 2006. 63 p. (In Russ.)

16. Melnikova N. N. Diagnostika social’no-psihologicheskoj adaptacii lichnosti = Diagnostics of the socio-psychological adaptation of an individual. Chelyabinsk: South Ural State University; 2004. 57 p. (In Russ.)

17. Dmitriev M. G., Belov V. G., Parfenov Yu. A. Psihologo-pedagogicheskaja diagno-stika delinkventnogo povedenija u trudnyh podrostkov = Psychological and pedagogical diagnosis of delinquent behaviour in difficult adolescents. St.-Petersburg: Publishing House PONI; 2010. 316 p. (In Russ.)

18. Nemov R. S. Psihologija = Psychology. In 3 books. 4th ed. Kn. 3: Psihodiagnostika. Vvedenie v nauchnoe psihologicheskoe issledovanie s jelementami matematicheskoj statistiki = Book 3: Psychodiagnostics. Introduction to scientific psychological research with the elements of mathematical statistics. Moscow: Publishing House VLADOS; 2001. 640 p. (In Russ.)

19. Toporkova N. A. Monitoring the formation of motor skills of preschool children with infantile cerebral palsy. Adaptivnaya fizicheskaya kul’tura = Adaptive Physical Culture. 2012; 3 (51): 24–25. (In Russ.)

20. Poletaeva N. A., Serova N. B. Pedagogical support of families as a means of rehabilitation of children of preschool age with cerebral palsy. In: Razvitie tehnologij zdorov’esberezhenija v sovremennom obshhestve: materialy mezhdunarodnoj studencheskoj nauchno-prakticheskoj konferencii. Ekaterinburg, 3–4 ijunja 2015 g. = Development of Health Saving Technologies in Modern Society. Materials of the International Student Scientific and Practical Conference; 2015 Jun 3–4; Ekaterinburg. Ekaterinburg: Ural University; 2015. p. 143–162. (In Russ.)