Nursery Teacher’s Support to Parents of “Children of Concern”

Abstract

Objective: This research was aimed to clarify the experience of nursery teachers’ support to the parents of “children of concern” about their developmental disabilities.

Methods: An inductive research methodology was used for the analysis. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 nursery teachers who had supported parents of “children of concern.”

Results: Following five core categories were extracted as actual situations of nursery teacher’s support to parents of “children of concern”: functional relationship building as a groundwork for conveying the core, the transmission of the core with a consideration of methods and timing, support for the utilization of professional support that considers the feelings of parents, nursery teacher’s sense of reassurance by the information sharing and advice, and a sense of difficulty a nursery teacher has toward parents when expected responses are not observed.

Discussion: Nursery teachers promoted the awareness toward the development of a child and professional support through the deepening of relationship with parents by making use of the strength of having the site of nursing practice and of being connected with parents daily. On the other hand, it was clarified that they felt difficulty in dealing with parents who had negative reaction and lacked a sense of difficulty.