Grandparents - The overlooked potential partners: Perceptions and practice of teachers in special and regular education

The unique contribution of grandparents to families of children with and without disabilities is often overlooked in the clinical and empirical literature. Perceptions and practice of teachers regarding grandparents were examined. Eighty-two special education teachers and 80 teachers from regular classes completed a 30-item questionnaire tapping perceptions of structural and functional aspects of grandparents' support to parents, and actual practice with grandparents. Results show that, on the whole, few differences were found between special and regular education. Although teachers acknowledge the significant and stable role that grandparents play, they rarely translate this to actual practice. Moreover, more than half the teachers showed no interest in acquiring more professional training in this area. The findings present a challenge to educators and policy-makers to be more attentive to the significant family resource of grandparents that is currently practically ignored.