Parents’ Level of Knowledge of Early Childhood Developmental Learning Disorder Indicators

Abstract

The current study sought to reveal the level of parents’ knowledge of developmental learning disorders in early childhood in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire was designed comprising (35) questions that measure the parents’ knowledge of indicators of developmental learning disorders. These were distributed among (5) the main areas related to basic psychological processes, namely attention, perception, memory, language, thinking and problem-solving. The questionnaire was electronically applied to a random sample of (462) parents in Khobar, Dhahran, Dammam and Jubail. The results demonstrated that parents have a moderate level of knowledge of indicators of developmental learning disorders among those in early childhood and that no statistically significant differences were attributed to their relationship with the child, educational qualifications and the level of the family income. One of the most significant recommendations is the development of educational and scientific resources associated with indicators of developmental learning disorders for children in early childhood and the provision of open seminars and discussion panels between parents to share experiences. The researchers also recommend performing additional studies focused on developing diagnostic criteria to detect symptoms of developmental learning difficulties which will assist educators in identifying children at risk of learning difficulties at an early age.

Received: 10 February 2022 / Accepted: 13 April 2022 / Published: 5 May 2022