Parenting,autism spectrum disorders and inner journeys |
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| Authors: | Miriam Twomey Michael Shevlin |
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| Institution: | Trinity College Dublin, Ireland |
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| Abstract: | The importance of Early Intervention for children with Autism has been established however little attention has been given to the role of the parent and their perspective (Griffin & Shevlin, 2011). Research on Early Intervention has proliferated and innovative research on involving parents as partners has emerged (Carpenter, 2007; Hornby, 2011), however parents’ experiences of assessment, diagnosis and education have received little attention. This study investigated parental perceptions of Early Intervention services for children with significant disabilities. The purpose of this article is to describe how parents experience assessment, diagnosis and education, exploring the potential of utulising a parental lens in grasping these perspectives. It explored parents’ need to negotiate services and the difficulties surrounding their children's education in mainstream settings. Through qualitative, longitudinal, in‐depth case studies, parents (n 6) were interviewed over a fifteen month period. Interviews coincided with school terms. A major point of difference is the presence of parent voice. This research is dedicated to eliciting parents’ voice and exploring how this may influence current understandings of Early Intervention in Ireland. This research suggests that we need to explore what is needed by parents according to those parents, by acknowledging parent voice. Early Intervention and school settings may be a site of reconfiguration of parenthood where mutually, supportive mechanisms may confront the obscurities associated with their role and the fact that they are seldom heard. |
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| Keywords: | Childhood disability parenting children with autism early intervention education |
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