A Qualitative Study on the Experience of Parenting a child with Dyslexia: An Irish perspective

Background and Aims: Dyslexia is a common learning disability affecting approximately 10% of the population. Previous research found dyslexia places unique challenges on parents. Findings highlight mothers undergo stress in coping and can develop mild anxiety levels by the time this hidden disability is diagnosed. There is little qualitative research on Irish parents exploring their subjective “lived experience” on the stressors and the psychological impact of dyslexia. Method: Participants who have a child with dyslexia attending school in Ireland were recruited by purposive sampling. Eight mothers participated (N=8) in semi-structured audio-recorded interviews. The data was analysed adhering to Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six phases of thematic analysis. Results: Five key themes were identified: (i) Lack of understanding and guilt (ii) Navigating system challenges (iii) Psychological impact (iv) Coping (v) Perseverance and hope for the future. Conclusions: The experiences of dyslexia are unique to everyone. Insufficient resources and supports from school can affect parental wellbeing. Conversely, parents advocating successfully for their child can result in positive outcomes providing parents with new meaning to their dyslexic journey. These findings provide evidence for the importance of supporting parents of dyslexic children during their school years