Parental perspectives of home-schooling of children with special educational needs and disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic: a review

J Res Spec Educ Needs. 2022 Sep 30:10.1111/1471-3802.12575. doi: 10.1111/1471-3802.12575. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to review recent literature on parental perspectives of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the home-schooling of children with special educational needs and disabilities, as well as to consider implications for their education and well-being. Eleven papers were reviewed, published between 2020 and 2021, selected according to a systematic protocol from three widely used online databases. Analysis of the reviewed papers found that transitioning to home-schooling during the pandemic had negative consequences for most of the children, as well as for their parents, though a small but significant number reported positive consequences. Three key areas of concern were identified in the analysis: balancing home-schooling with parent work activities; parent relationships with schools and support services and agencies and home-schooling effects on the well-being and mental health of parents and children.

Keywords: COVID‐19; disabilities; home‐schooling; parental perspectives; special educational needs.