The optimisation of parenting personal potential as an aspect of support for families of children with movement disorders

Introduction. In the system of preschool education, parents are full participants of the learning process. It is highly problematic to provide the efficiency of the educational process without involving parents, especially, in the case of younger children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN). Successful psychological and pedagogical guidance to children with movement disorders is hardly possible without the participation of the closest people. The future of children directly depends on the psychological state of their parents and their ability to provide the necessary assistance. Nevertheless, the majority of preventive measures intended for the socialisation of “special” children and their adaptation in the society does not affect the personal issues of adult family members. The aim of the research was to present the results of psychological and pedagogical experiment directed to the transformative components of personal potential of parents of preschool children with movement disorders during their preparation for education at the comprehensive school. Methodology and research methods. In the course of the research, the following psychological approaches were used: the questionnaire developed by N. P. Fetiskin “Diagnostics of realisation of the needs for self-development”; S. Maddi's Hardiness Survey adapted by D. A. Leontiev; N. N. Melnikova's Adaptive Behavior Strategies questionnaire; K. Shreiner's Express Diagnostics of the Stress Level. Mathematical processing of empirical data was carried out using the software statistica 12.0 with the application of the Mann-Whitney U-test and the Wilcoxon T-test. Results and scientific novelty. The motivational, behavioural and emotional components of personal potential in parents of children with movement disorders were identified. In the course of the first stage of the research, it was revealed that parents of children with movement disorders choose disadaptive behavioural strategies. The majority of parents experience a constant fatigue and stress, the need for self-development is on the low level. Frequently, families of children with movement disorders are in the situation of stigmatisation that considerably becomes aggravated and amplifies at the stage of preparation for schooling. The developed technology of the psychological and pedagogical support for families will allow optimising components of parenting personal potential and achieving an optimal level of the family social and psychological adaptability when preparing children for entry into schools. The approbation of technology showed considerable positive changes in the parents of experimental group when choosing the strategy of behaviour and attitude towards their children. Moreover, essential positive transformations of motivational and emotional components of personal potentials were identified in the majority of adult participants. Practical significance. The findings obtained and the conclusions drawn by the authors will be very useful to designing psychological and pedagogical activity in educational institutions. The implementation into practice of the proposed psycho-diagnostic complex will help to develop evidence-based approaches and recommendations for the interaction of educational institutions with adult members of families of children with movement disorders at the stage of preparation for school. © 2018 Russian State Vocational Pedagogical University. All Rights Reserved