Agreement on Childhood Disability between Parents and Teachers in Vietnam

• Published in: International journal of disability, development, and education Vol. 55; no. 3; pp. 239 - 249
• Main Authors: Shin, Jin Y., Nhan, Nguyen Viet, Crittenden, Kathleen, Valenti, S. Stavros, Hong, Hoang Thi Dieu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Routledge 01-09-2008
• Subjects: ABILITIES Index; Agreements; Behavior Problems; cognitive delays; Cognitive development; Cognitive impairment; Communication Skills; Cultural Influences; Developmental Delays; Disabilities; Disability identification; Disabled children; Early childhood education; Foreign Countries; Genetic Disorders; Intellectual development; intellectual disabilities; Intellectual disability; Kindergarten; Kindergarten children; Kindergartens; Mental Retardation; Parent Attitudes; Parent teacher conferences; Parent teacher cooperation; parent-teacher agreement; Parent-Teacher communication; Physical Health; Preschool Children; Rating Scales; Severity (of Disability); Social Behavior; Socioeconomic Status; Teacher Attitudes; Vietnam; Vietnam
• ISSN: 1034-912X; 1465-346X
• DOI: 10.1080/10349120802268370

The purpose of the present study was to examine agreement on childhood disability among the teachers and parents of children with cognitive delays in Vietnam. The participants were 57 teachers in kindergarten programmes (for children 2 to 6 years of age), and 106 mothers and 93 fathers of the children attending these kindergarten programmes. The data were collected using the ABILITIES Index and a demographic information form. The results indicated that teachers rated the children's level of functioning more severely, especially in the areas of intellectual disabilities and behaviour problems, than mothers and fathers. Logistic regression that examined the factors that predicted the agreement and disagreement among parents and teachers revealed that teachers and parents were more likely to agree when the child's disability was genetically related or physical. Screening, diagnosis and treatment issues can become more challenging for children with intellectual disabilities who do not have such physical and genetic conditions, especially when the agreement between parents and professionals on the conditions of the children is low.