The impact of parental attitude and practices toward children with special needs in Oyo State

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of a study designed to explore the impact of parental attitude and practices toward children with special needs in Oyo State. Participants included 25 parents of children with special needs. Their attitudes were assessed using an adapted Parental Attitude Scale (0.71). The result revealed differences in the attitude of parents on various domains of the scale. They indicated that their attitude has brought about positive academic performance and social development of their children irrespective of their level and type of disability.The study however, revealed that parents’ attitude is a strong determinant of academic performance and social competence of children with special needs. Based on these findings, it was recommended among others that parents should look beyond their children’s disability and improve on their attitudes toward them in other to fulfil their potential.