Communication methods between home and school with adolescents between the age of 17 and 20 with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). A Comparative Study of the Narratives of Families in Finland and the U.S.
Kellberg, Eliisa (2018)
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This qualitative study identifies and examines the experiences of parents with adolescents between the age of 17 and 20 with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) on the communication methods between home and school in Finland and in the U.S.
The aim was to find out how parents maintain involvement in their child’s education and what kind of obstacles the parents face in communication. The study used the narrative analysis method and data was collected through participating parent’s observations and via storytelling by parents with children with ASD. The interviewees of this study were two Finnish parents with their children with ASD and two American parents with two adolescents with ASD. These interviewees were recruited through the member associations of the Finnish Association for Autism and Asperger’s syndrome in Finland and the Modesto School District located in California, U.S. The data was collected in the U.S. during summer 2014 and in Finland during spring 2015 and analyzed in the fall 2015.
The results concluded that the parents of children with autism in Finland felt that they needed better communication methods, such as face to face meetings or discussions in phone with school personnel. That will support the parents raising their child with autism. The parents living in the U.S. were experiencing lack of support by the professionals when identifying the needs of the child with autism in school. The results showed that communication between home and school in the U.S. was more consistent than in Finland. Only in the U.S. the participants felt that a valuable way of establishing good relationships between parents and teachers was spending time together on the school field trips.
In both countries the parents experienced difficulties at school: impolite attitude and behavior of the professionals and for most importantly the lack of communication as issues which increased the workload and stress of the families with the children with ASD. The research data can be used to designing of communication pathways within special education at schools, concerning the parents with adolescents with ASD, to make their needs to be met more appropriately.
The aim was to find out how parents maintain involvement in their child’s education and what kind of obstacles the parents face in communication. The study used the narrative analysis method and data was collected through participating parent’s observations and via storytelling by parents with children with ASD. The interviewees of this study were two Finnish parents with their children with ASD and two American parents with two adolescents with ASD. These interviewees were recruited through the member associations of the Finnish Association for Autism and Asperger’s syndrome in Finland and the Modesto School District located in California, U.S. The data was collected in the U.S. during summer 2014 and in Finland during spring 2015 and analyzed in the fall 2015.
The results concluded that the parents of children with autism in Finland felt that they needed better communication methods, such as face to face meetings or discussions in phone with school personnel. That will support the parents raising their child with autism. The parents living in the U.S. were experiencing lack of support by the professionals when identifying the needs of the child with autism in school. The results showed that communication between home and school in the U.S. was more consistent than in Finland. Only in the U.S. the participants felt that a valuable way of establishing good relationships between parents and teachers was spending time together on the school field trips.
In both countries the parents experienced difficulties at school: impolite attitude and behavior of the professionals and for most importantly the lack of communication as issues which increased the workload and stress of the families with the children with ASD. The research data can be used to designing of communication pathways within special education at schools, concerning the parents with adolescents with ASD, to make their needs to be met more appropriately.