Self-determination and parents’ perceptions and practices: Opportunity and performance

Self-determination is an important right for all individuals and is associated with positive transition outcomes, particularly among children with disabilities. Parents play an essential role in supporting their child's development of self-determination. This study examined Saudi parents’ support of self-determination and their perception of their children with disabilities’ performance. Surveys were received from 231 parents of students with disabilities. The results indicated that parents believe that they provide frequent opportunities for their children to practice the skills associated with self-determination, but they perceive that their children are able to perform such skills only to some extent. The opportunity to cultivate self-determination is a strong predictor of a child's performance. The results and implications are discussed.