• Korean Journal of Child Education & Care
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.159-174
• /
• 2019

Objective: The study wanted to find out what changes the mother, who is the main parent of the severely disabled children, experienced in their lives through the use of day hospitals and child care services, and what difficulties they had, and discussed policy practical improvements that could satisfy both the medical and developmental needs of the severely disabled. Methods: The participants of the study were 9 mothers of a child with severe disabilities who had experience using hospitals and kindergarten. They were recruited by snowball sampling method. Focus group interview and individual interview were conducted. Results: As a result of the analysis, the mother of severely handicapped child gradually began to seek the balance of life as her child grew and became aware of the institution other than the day hospital. - (e.g) Although I was distracted and worried for the first time, I was gradually adjusting to the time away from my child thinking positively. Children with severe disabilities were also positively influenced by various experiences. They become to show som positive behavior or feeling such as brightening facial expressions or smile as they were using daycare centers or kindergartens in addition to daytime hospitals. Conclusion/Implications: Through the results of this study, comprehensive policy proposals on child care, welfare, and medical care were discussed.