Identification Family Dynamics of Children with Learning Disabilities: A Phenomenological Study

The aim of this study was to identify the family dynamics of children with learning disabilities.

The research method was qualitative descriptive phenomenology. The statistical population was the parents of children with learning disabilities. Purposeful sampling method used to select the sample. Data collected using in-depth semi-structured interviews. Considering the theoretical saturation criterion for determining the sample size, the interviews continued and, the number of participants reached 20. Data analyzed by Colaizzi descriptive phenomenology.

The results showed that the lived experience of parents of children with learning disabilities consisted of three main themes and 9 sub-themes including child issues (comorbid disorders, developmental history and behavioral challenges of the child), school issues and family issues (developmental -educational functions, economic and environmental challenges, impact on the family, social challenges, parental challenges and limited parental literacy).

The findings of this study expand the past literature on family dynamics and the factors extracted in the field of family dynamics can have many practical implications for therapists of learning disabilities.