Psychosocial and cultural needs of children with intellectual disability and their families among the Syrian refugee population in Turkey.
Language support is the first intervention: without it, refugee kids with ID can’t reach any other service.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Mazurek et al. (2020) asked Syrian refugee parents in Turkey what help they still need for their child with intellectual disability.
The team used a survey translated into Arabic. Parents answered questions about information, money, schooling, and language hurdles.
What they found
Almost every family said big needs were still unmet. The top gaps were: clear info about services, cash help, and a seat in special-education classes.
Turkish-language barriers acted like a locked gate. When parents could not speak or read Turkish, they missed paperwork deadlines and school placements.
How this fits with other research
The finding echoes McCausland et al. (2010) and McGrother et al. (1996), who also used community surveys and found long lists of unmet needs among people with ID. All three studies show the same pattern: paperwork and money problems block services.
Seo et al. (2017) extends the story. They show that extra medical or behavior needs make community access even harder. O’s refugee families fit this rule: they face both language barriers and extra health risks from camp life.
Murthy et al. (2025) looks contradictory at first. They found that Indian caregivers want peer-run groups, not cash. The gap is only in the fix, not the pain. Both papers agree families feel alone; one asks for friends, the other for funds.
Why it matters
If you serve refugee or immigrant families, add Turkish (or local language) captions to every form, flyer, and consent sheet. Offer a live interpreter at intake. These two low-cost steps can unlock special-education seats that already exist but stay empty because parents cannot navigate the system.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Add Google-translated subtitles to your next parent-training video and test it with one Arabic-speaking family.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Turkey is the country hosting the largest number of refugees from Syria, with currently 3 571 175 million persons. The general health needs of the refugees are being addressed; however, people with intellectual disabilities (IDs), particularly children, are relatively missed. The aim of this study was to identify medical, psychological and social needs of children with ID and their families, among the Syrian refugee population in Turkey, and to define psychosocial and cultural needs for planning of future services. METHODS: One hundred forty-two children (67.6% men; mean age 90.5 months) diagnosed with intellectual disorders were included in the study. Family Needs Survey, with additional open-ended and close-ended questions, was used to evaluate family needs. Items from Developmental Disabilities Profile-2 were used to evaluate and screen cognitive, motor and language development as well as medical concerns and behavioural problems. Data on sociodemographic characteristics were also collected. RESULTS: The highest needs were identified in information and financial needs domains. Other indicated needs were on child care and community services domains. The least indicated items were on family and social support and explaining to others domains. An average of 63.5% of the respondents definitely agreed with the Family Needs Survey items. The overall level of identification of need items was higher than that in some previous studies, indicating the level of unmet needs of the studied population. Family income, parents' employment and parents' education were not significantly associated with unmet family needs. Special education services were unreachable for most of the families in the study. CONCLUSIONS: Families reported the highest needs in information and financial needs domains. The overall level of identification of needs was higher than that in some previous studies, indicating the level of unmet needs of the studied population. The majority of the parents reported that they had sufficient family and social support, which might be a protective factor for parental mental health. Parents' Turkish fluency was very significantly associated with every domain of unmet needs. Language barriers and translation problems had significant negative effects on families, as confirmed by the answers to open-ended questions. Another important factor identified was access to service professionals. Special education services, sorely needed for most of the families, could not always be reached. Although the progress of children who had received special education was not very encouraging, it was better than those who did not receive it. The first implication of the study is that increasing Turkish proficiency or providing high-quality and consistent translation services is vital for this category of children with ID. The second implication is that information and financial needs must be met with priority. Information must be tailored for each child's needs and developmental level. Special education and physical therapy must be more accessible and at higher quality.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2020 · doi:10.1111/jir.12760