Experiences of Saudi families with children who have intellectual disability in the midst of COVID-19 in alQurayyat

Abstract EN

The experiences of Saudi Arabian families with children that have intellectual disability (ID) in Alqurayyat city are examined during the COVID-19 pandemic.

mixed methods approach (quantitative and qualitative analysis) was used in this study.

there was a total of 76 online respondents to the survey.

ten of the original survey respondents were interviewed.

based on a survey, it was found that; while families received the same level of material support, before and during the pandemic, both counseling and social support decreased considerably.

interviews revealed several hardships that families had hardships because of the social distancing measures brought by the pandemic.

this study was able to establish that COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the lives of families with children that have ID.

recommendations based on these findings are made including; the importance of the provision of more targeted alternative services, informing careers about alternative services available, as well as improving the design of the remote services, in order to engage and deliver value for clients.