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Smith J, Rabba AS, Cong L, Datta P, Dresens E, Hall G, Heyworth M, Lawson W, Lee P, Lilley R, Syeda N, Ma E, Wang J, Wang R, Yeow CT, Pellicano E. "They Were Saying That I Was a Typical Chinese Mum" : Chinese Parents' Experiences of Parent-Teacher Partnerships for Their Autistic Children. J Autism Dev Disord 2023; 53:4888-4900. [PMID: 36149615 PMCID: PMC9510549 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05748-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Effective parent-teacher partnerships improve outcomes for autistic students. Yet, we know little about what effective partnerships look like for parents of autistic children from different backgrounds. We conducted interviews with 17 Chinese parents of autistic children attending Australian kindergartens/schools to understand their experiences. Parents appreciated the acceptance, opportunities and supports they received in Australia. They had high expectations of children; expectations not often shared by educators. Parents were respectful of teachers' expertise and polite and undemanding in interactions. Nevertheless, parents were frustrated by inconsistent teaching quality and inadequate communication. Navigating systems was also challenging and parents faced discrimination from teachers and their community. Recommendations include fostering open home-school communication, proactively seeking parents' expertise about children and explicitly scaffolding parents' self-advocacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jodie Smith
- Macquarie School of Education, Macquarie University, 2109, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.
- Department of Psychology, Counselling and Therapy, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Aspasia Stacey Rabba
- Macquarie School of Education, Macquarie University, 2109, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Department of Psychology, Counselling and Therapy, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
- School of Educational Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Lin Cong
- Macquarie School of Education, Macquarie University, 2109, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Poulomee Datta
- Macquarie School of Education, Macquarie University, 2109, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Gabrielle Hall
- Macquarie School of Education, Macquarie University, 2109, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Melanie Heyworth
- Macquarie School of Education, Macquarie University, 2109, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Reframing Autism, Sydney, Australia
| | - Wenn Lawson
- Macquarie School of Education, Macquarie University, 2109, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Rozanna Lilley
- Macquarie School of Education, Macquarie University, 2109, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Emily Ma
- Macquarie School of Education, Macquarie University, 2109, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Julia Wang
- Macquarie School of Education, Macquarie University, 2109, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Rena Wang
- Macquarie School of Education, Macquarie University, 2109, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Chong Tze Yeow
- Macquarie School of Education, Macquarie University, 2109, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Elizabeth Pellicano
- Macquarie School of Education, Macquarie University, 2109, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
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Feng Y, Zhou X, Liu Q, Deng T, Qin X, Chen B, Zhang L. Symptom severity and posttraumatic growth in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder: The moderating role of social support. Autism Res 2022; 15:602-613. [PMID: 35048558 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience posttraumatic growth (PTG). No study has investigated the moderating effect of social support and family function between symptom severity and PTG. The study aims to examine whether social support and family function moderate the relationship between symptom severity and PTG among parents of children with ASD. Using a cross-sectional design, a total of 385 parents of children with ASD were recruited from September 2019 to November 2020 by convenience sampling. Participants completed the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, Social Support Rating Scale, Autism Behavior Checklist, and Family Apgar Index. Both social support (r = 0.354, p < 0.01) and family function (r = 0.379, p < 0.05) were significantly related to PTG. Although symptom severity was not significantly related to PTG (p > 0.05), social support moderated the correlation between symptom severity and PTG [β(SE) = -0.134 (0.719), p < 0.01, 95% CI = (-3.552, -0.723)]; the positive association was stronger for low social support [β(SE) = 0.145 (0.054), t = 2.675, p < 0.01, 95% CI = (0.038, 0.252)], while the negative association was weaker for high social support [β(SE) = -0.121 (0.051), t = -2.378, p < 0.05, 95% CI = (-0.221, -0.021)]. Family function did not moderate the relationship (p > 0.05). Higher social support appears to buffer the detrimental effect of symptom severity on PTG, and social support seems to be an important factor when delivering interventions aimed at decreasing symptom severity and improving positive growth. LAY SUMMARY: Both social support and family function were positively associated with PTG. Providing sufficient perceived social support and enhancing family function promoted parents' positive psychological experience. Higher social support seemed to buffer the detrimental effect of symptom severity on PTG, and it could be an important intervention target for improving the psychological growth of parents of children with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongshen Feng
- School of Nursing, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xuezhen Zhou
- Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qian Liu
- Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Tao Deng
- School of Nursing, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiuqun Qin
- The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Biyuan Chen
- The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lifeng Zhang
- School of Nursing, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
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