משברו של חלום למסע של למידה אישית-חברתית : תיעוד הורות לילד עם צרכים מיוחדים באמצעות פוטו-ווייס

Background: The birth of a child with special needs is commonly viewed as a crisis event, resulting in emotional and social hurdles for parents. Beyond addressing immediate challenges, it is vital to examine aspects like personal growth, coping strategies, and the distinct facets of childrearing as perceived by the parents. Aims: To explore the unique characteristics of special parenting, including its challenges, as perceived by parents. To investigate the coping strengths and resources utilized by parents in navigating the complexities of raising a child with special needs. Methodology: Photovoice was employed as a community-based participatory research methodology with 13 parents of children with special needs in a year- long project conducted in a city centrally located within the country. Data collection involved the creation of photovoices by the participants, which were subsequently analysed using content analysis. Findings: The analysis revealed four primary themes: 1) “The dream and its breaking”: a cyclical journey of acceptance and fulfillment; 2) “To see what I have”: embracing accomplishments and discovering new insights about oneself and the world; 3) “My child, my teacher”: special parenting as an ongoing lesson; 4) “The weight of responsibility”: navigating the perpetual journey of special parenting. Conclusions and implications for practice: Findings indicate parenting children with special needs is a transformative social identity shaped by crisis. Implementing participatory methods like photovoice is crucial for enabling parents to express their complex perspectives and document experiential knowledge.