Complex students: Understanding how to best supports students with a comorbid developmental or physical health need

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2021-07-16
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Abstract
Minimal literature has investigated the supports teachers access for students with complex needs for their academic and developmental needs in a school environment. Students with complex needs, in this particular study, are those with a neurodevelopmental or medical disorder along with a comorbid disorder (e.g., epilepsy and cerebral palsy), with a focus on preschool children and those in early education. Since teachers are primarily responsible for helping students succeed in the classroom, securing resources and supports for students mostly falls on teachers. As such, the present study explored the following aims: 1) identify the supports this population is receiving within the classroom; 2) understand the challenges and potential barriers teachers experience in supporting students with complex needs; and 3) describe the profiles of children in early and elementary education. This study used a qualitative design approach. An anonymized dataset was used to generate demographic information of students with complex needs enrolled in a specialized academic setting. Five focus groups were conducted at specialized school settings in Calgary, and the focus group data was analyzed using thematic analysis in order to generate themes relevant to the research questions. Those themes were: 1) supports for students; 2) resources for teachers; 3) barriers to supporting students; 4) well-being of teachers; 5) recommendations for better assisting students. Overall, the results from the present study have future research implications and practical utility for educators and administrators.
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Citation
Choudhry, M. I. (2021). Complex students: Understanding how to best supports students with a comorbid developmental or physical health need (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.