Pedagogical support for parents as a condition for fostering gender tolerance in children with special educational needs

Abstract

The article scientifically substantiates the problem of pedagogical support for parents as a leading determinant of gender tolerance education for preschool children with special educational needs. Based on the analysis of the processes of inclusive democratisation of education, the need to update the content of education for children with developmental disabilities has been proven. Emphasis is placed on the implementation of egalitarian approaches that involve the deconstruction of «double stigmatisation» (based on gender and psychophysiological status), the teaching of respect for human dignity, and the development of the ability to interact as partners. The role of strategic cooperation between specialists, preschool education institutions, and families as a basic factor in successful social habilitation is highlighted. The expediency of introducing «parent education» as a systemic mechanism for increasing the inclusive gender competence of families is argued. The key vectors of this process are detailed: ensuring the unity of educational influences through an Individual Development Program, overcoming parental attitudes towards the «infantilisation» of the child, developing self-identification skills, and designing a barrier-free gender-sensitive environment. Attention was paid to testing the author's methodology for educating parents, which was implemented in three stages. The diagnostic stage revealed the phenomenon of «gender deprivation» in the upbringing of children with special educational needs and the specifics of parental prejudices. The corrective and developmental stage ensured the deepening of parental competencies through interactive technologies: case studies on empathic communication, workshops on the adaptation of play materials, and «children + parents» events. The reflective-evaluative stage was aimed at analysing the dynamics of the child's self-perception and correcting parenting patterns. Empirical results confirm that the proposed methodology minimises the influence of stereotypes, increases the level of responsible parenting, and ensures the continuity of educational influences. The conclusion was made that family education is a system-forming factor in the formation of gender tolerance and successful social integration of preschoolers with special educational needs.

Keywords: gender tolerance; parental education; children with special educational needs; preschool education; inclusive education; fostering gender tolerance; partnership between educational institutions and families.