EXPERIENCES OF PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC PERIOD

This paper provides a qualitative analysis of the experiences of parents of children with special needs during the Covid 19 pandemic period. The purpose of this study is to answer the research question regarding the experiences of the parents of children with special needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative methods for data collection were used in this study and the main instrument was a semi-structured interview. The sample in the study consists of 12 parents from the cities of Tetovo, Gostivar and Skopje. Parents of children with special needs had difficulty with their children managing the situation created during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many mothers said it was indeed a very difficult time as they felt trapped by a multitude of problems and factors that negatively affected them and made it impossible for the situation to be managed properly. One such factor was the restriction or inability to move outside their home and to develop the activities that for those children had become commonplace and a kind of routine in itself. Based on the discussions and conversations we had with these parents, despite the difficulties during the quarantine, the parents eventually got used to that type of condition and began to manage it a little better than at the beginning of the pandemic.