Parent perspectives of their involvement in IEP development for children with autism

Abstract

The present study investigated parents’ experiences making educational decisions for their children with autism and their satisfaction with the outcomes of those decisions. Parents completed a survey describing their: (1) input in educational decisions, (2) satisfaction with school personnel, and (3) satisfaction with their child’s school experience. Sequential regressions revealed parents’ satisfaction was generally predicted by their own knowledge of autism, school staff knowledge of autism, parent satisfaction with teachers, and parent relationships with school personnel. Additionally, parent input was a significant predictor of satisfaction with their child’s school experience. Finally, open-ended responses indicated that parents experienced many barriers when working with schools, and often felt compelled to go outside of the school system to ensure their children received an appropriate education. Implications for teacher preparation and school-parent partnerships are described.