Australian parent perspective of schooling choices and relationships for their child on the autism spectrum

Abstract

Children with an autism diagnosis often struggle in a mainstream school environment and yet this is where increasing numbers of them are receiving their education (Roberts & Simpson, 2016). Children with autism more often struggle with social isolation and rejection, behaviour difficulties, bullying and problems with comprehension and transitioning within the classroom environment (Majoko, 2016a). These difficulties impact negatively on the educational outcomes for this group of students (Keen, Webster & Ridley, 2016). Parents of children on the spectrum are aware from the time their child is very young that they will experience school differently from their peers without a diagnosis, and often feel powerless in their role as advocate for their child in a school context (McDonald, 2014). Parent voices need to be heard and considered if educational outcomes for these children are to improve. The Longitudinal Study of Australian Students with Autism (LASA) is an attempt to address this situation. This eight-year government funded study has recruited parents of children in two cohort groups to provide both personal data and approve the collection of school data about their children for the study. A small but significant number of parents have declined permission for the researchers to contact their child’s school. The reasons for this decision and the school/home communication challenges represented by this decision are the focus of this project. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was used to compare the attitudes of three groups of parents identified from existing data: parents who educate at home, parents enrolled in schools of distance education and a control group of parents whose children attend mainstream schools. Each family received a link to an online survey requesting information about their relationship with staff at their child’s current school setting (including teachers overseeing a distance education program) or a past setting if that is more relevant. Further in-depth lived experience data were then collected through interviews with a small number of parents from each group. Understanding more about parental lived experience in relation to their child’s schooling in different parts of Australia will better inform policy decisions about practical implications of including students with autism in mainstream schools.