Evaluating the Collaborative Efforts of Teachers and Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum

Educators have emphasized the importance of parent involvement in the educational process for decades. The definitions of parent involvement, however, have changed over time with a current emphasis on genuine parent-school collaboration where parents are seen as partners in their child\u27s education. Such collaboration is especially crucial when the children have special needs, such as those on the autism spectrum. Autism spectrum disorders pose unique challenges to the home-school relationship in part due to the child\u27s communication and social impairments. This study is part of a larger, ongoing study examining home-school relationships between parents and teachers of children with autism spectrum disorders. Participants were recruited from a local school district, and 21 parents and teachers of children with an autism spectrum disorder completed a packet of questionnaires. Two global questions were: (a) Is collaboration valued and valuable? and (b) What are the key aspects of collaboration? The first question was examined by analyzing feedback data from participants in a workshop designed to enhance home-school collaboration through use of a semi-structured parent-teacher discussion. To answer the second question, correlational analyses were conducted to explore associations between reports of relationship quality, home-school contact, and perceptions of the child\u27s educational environments