Parental expectations for children with intellectual disability or autism in Ghana and Zambia: A concept mapping study.
Parents in Ghana and Zambia want the same independence and inclusion we target, but they doubt it will happen—so show them small wins fast.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers asked 66 parents in Ghana and Zambia to sort cards about their hopes for children with autism or intellectual disability.
Parents grouped the cards into piles that felt alike, then rated how important and how likely each hope was.
The team turned the sorts into pictures called concept maps to see which themes popped out.
What they found
Independence, school inclusion, and getting basic resources topped the wish list in both countries.
Ghanaian parents rated these hopes as more reachable than Zambian parents did.
Country-specific details also showed up: Ghana parents stressed jobs, Zambia parents stressed safety.
How this fits with other research
Krafft et al. (2019) asked U.S. parents the same question and heard the same big dreams, proving the hopes are global.
Ghanouni et al. (2021) talked to adults with autism in Canada and named the same three must-haves: stability, money skills, and community ties—showing child expectations match adult needs.
McKinlay et al. (2022) found UK parents feel schools ignore them and inclusion fails; the new data show African parents still want inclusion but doubt it will happen, hinting at the same gap.
Fradet et al. (2025) scoping review says family expectations shape transition planning; this study gives a concrete tool—concept mapping—to capture those expectations in low-resource areas.
Why it matters
You can run a 45-minute card sort with parents before writing an ITP or behavior plan. The map shows what matters most and how hopeful they feel. Match your goals to their top themes and use the gap between "important" and "likely" to pick first targets and show quick wins.
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Join Free →Try a 10-item card sort: ask the parent to rank what matters most, then ask "How likely is each?" Start your next goal on the highest importance-lowest likelihood item.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
INTRODUCTION: Parent expectations have an important impact on children's outcomes. Despite a wealth of research on the familial experience of children with disabilities in African countries, very few studies have examined expectations these children's parents hold for them. AIMS: This study explores parental expectations for children with intellectual disability, or autism and assesses their perceived importance and likelihood of attainment. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Concept mapping methodology with focus groups comprised of parents of children with intellectual disability or autism were employed. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Results revealed several expectation themes: independence, acceptance and inclusion, public awareness, education, governmental assistance, resources, and healthcare. Whereas some expectations were congruent with themes in the broader literature, nuances within themes reflected cultural and societal conditions. Themes unique to each country also emerged, and importance and likelihood ratings revealed some cultural variation across the two countries. Expectations and the value placed on them differ across countries. IMPLICATIONS: This study represents an important first step in efforts to understand the developmental contexts of children with disabilities on the African continent. Findings inform future research and potential strategies for policy and practice.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2021 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2021.103989