Exploring Parents’ Emotions on a Child with Disabilities:

A Narrative Study of Parents of a Child with Disabilities based on ECEC Center Episodes

Abstract

This study evaluated the emotion of parents of a child with autism and intellectual disabilities, by focusing on the following two aspects: how parents understood the episode descriptions about their child in an ECEC center, and what supports they received for their child. The study was based on an interview with the parents. The parents’ narrative responses were analyzed qualitatively. The result revealed that parents’ emotions wavered between “we are the parents of our child regardless of the disability” and “we are the parents of a child with disabilities.” In addition, the parents were strongly emotionally supported by realizing the importance of their child being in the ECEC center and the child’s unique development without comparing to other children.