Maternal involvement in the education of young children with autism spectrum disorders

Parent involvement is widely acknowledged to be a critical 'best practice' in the education of young children with ASD. Despite its importance, no studies to date have systematically examined the relative influence of child, family, and school factors on the extent to which parents participate in the education of their children with ASD. In the present study, questionnaire and interview data collected from the mothers and teachers of 95 children receiving public school services for ASD were used to address this issue. Descriptively, wide variation was found in both type and intensity of mothers' educational involvement. Regression analyses showed involvement, both at school and at home, to be heavily influenced by the extent to which school staff actively encouraged, assisted, and provided opportunities for parent involvement. In addition, severity of child behavior problems was also found to exert a uniformly negative effect on intensity of mothers' educational involvement, while the influence of family resources and demand variables varied, depending on whether involvement occurred at school or at home. Implications of these findings for future research and for the support of parents seeking to participate in the learning and development of their children with ASD are discussed.