Challenges to authentic home-school partnership for parents of children with ASD: a qualitative case study

Abstract

Using an in-depth qualitative case study approach, this study examines parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as they tried to become involved in their children's education and establish home-school partnerships to better support their children's needs in an elementary school in Turkey. Specifically, we focused on the school-level, structural barriers that these parents faced during the process. Our findings indicate that despite these parents' unparalleled enthusiasm and advocacy in supporting their children's education, their efforts to work in partnership with their children's school was hindered by various structural barriers. This study questions traditional perceptions and practices employed by schools to promote home-school partnerships for parents of children with ASD and argues that these traditional ways of viewing partnership further complicate the situation and hinder possible authentic partnerships that might have occurred between schools and parents. This paper provides suggestions for school leaders, teachers and families, as well as for policymakers, to establish more authentic partnerships for parents of children with ASD.