• myGriffith
    • Staff portal
    • Contact Us⌄
      • Future student enquiries 1800 677 728
      • Current student enquiries 1800 154 055
      • International enquiries +61 7 3735 6425
      • General enquiries 07 3735 7111
      • Online enquiries
      • Staff phonebook
    View Item 
    •   Home
    • Griffith Theses
    • Theses - Higher Degree by Research
    • View Item
    • Home
    • Griffith Theses
    • Theses - Higher Degree by Research
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Browse

  • All of Griffith Research Online
    • Communities & Collections
    • Authors
    • By Issue Date
    • Titles
  • This Collection
    • Authors
    • By Issue Date
    • Titles
  • Statistics

  • Most Popular Items
  • Statistics by Country
  • Most Popular Authors
  • Support

  • Contact us
  • FAQs
  • Admin login

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

    Thumbnail
    View/Open
    Taylor, Susanne_Final Thesis_Redacted.pdf (1.313Mb)
    Author(s)
    Taylor, Susanne Elizabeth
    Primary Supervisor
    Roberts, Jacqueline
    Other Supervisors
    Klieve, Helen
    Year published
    2017
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    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 ...
    View more >
    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.
    View less >
    Thesis Type
    Thesis (Masters)
    Degree Program
    Master of Education and Professional Studies Research (MEdProfStRes)
    School
    School Educ & Professional St
    DOI
    https://doi.org/10.25904/1912/2494
    Copyright Statement
    The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise.
    Subject
    Autism
    Social isolation
    Rejection
    Behaviour difficulties
    Bullying
    Classroom enviornment
    Home schooling
    Distance education
    Publication URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/10072/377619
    Collection
    • Theses - Higher Degree by Research

    Footer

    Disclaimer

    • Privacy policy
    • Copyright matters
    • CRICOS Provider - 00233E

    Tagline

    • Gold Coast
    • Logan
    • Brisbane - Queensland, Australia
    First Peoples of Australia
    • Aboriginal
    • Torres Strait Islander