Jordanian Mothers' Acceptance of their Handicapped Children

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate the degree of mothers'
acceptance of their handicapped children in Jordan. The sample of
the study consisted of 405 mothers of handicapped children enrolled
in various special education schools and centers, of whom 167 were
mothers of deaf children, 96 mothers of blind children, 65 mothers of
cerebral palsy (C P)children, and 77 mothers of mentally retarded
children. A questionnaire consisting of (43) items was used to
measure the degree of the mother's acceptance of her disabled child.
A test was carried out to check validity and reliability of the
questionnaire.The results of the study revealed statistically
significant differences in mothers' acceptance of their disabled
children related to the type of disability in favor of hearing and
visual disabilities vis-à-vis mental retardation.The results also
showed that there are significant differences in mothers' acceptance
of their disabled children related to the degree of hearing
impairment and gender in favor of the severity, females and the
interaction between gender and age.Regarding (CP) disability, the
degree of mothers' acceptance was in favor of children ranging from
6-12 years old compared to children less than 6 years, and above 18
years old. No differences were found regarding visual and mental
disabilities. The researcher recommends that further study of other
cases like autism, hyper-activity and learning disabilities be
conducted