My Daughter Said, “Why Are We Here, Mom?” Experiences of Parents Who Left Their Country for Their Children With Special Needs

Kaya A., ÖZTÜRK M. E.

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, cilt.63, sa.6, ss.524-537, 2025 (SSCI, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 63 Sayı: 6
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1352/1934-9556-63.6.524
  • Dergi Adı: Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Child Development & Adolescent Studies, CINAHL, Education Abstracts, ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), MEDLINE, Public Affairs Index
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.524-537
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: autism, immigration, intellectual disability, qualitative research, special education
  • Erciyes Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This study investigated the reasons why parents with children with special needs choose to leave their homeland with their children, the difficulties they encounter in their new countries, the services they receive for their children in new countries, and their level of satisfaction with these services. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 15 parents residing in various countries. The findings indicate that parents migrated to developed countries due to negative attitudes toward themselves and their children in Türkiye, discrimination, and dissatisfaction with educational services. These parents emphasized that their children were happy in the countries they migrated to and expressed satisfaction with the special education services they received. Furthermore, most of these parents do not intend to return to Türkiye permanently.