School satisfaction in parents of children with severe developmental disabilities

Background: Previous research suggests parents' level of satisfaction with their child's school experience is highly variable. The present author explored school satisfaction in a Canadian sample of parents of children with severe and often complex developmental disabilities.

Method: Parents of 185 children completed questionnaires regarding their satisfaction with nine aspects of their child's school experience. Satisfaction was examined in relation to child's age, diagnosis of Autism, adaptive level, and maladaptive behaviour; parents' mental health difficulties and perception of caring burden; and the child's classroom type and level of clinical services at school.

Results: School satisfaction was unrelated to parents' mental health or burden scores, was related to child's adaptive and maladaptive behaviour, as well as type of classroom placement.

Conclusions: It is important to understand what aspects of the school experience are influential for different children and families so that their experience can be optimized as far as possible.