A Qualitative Exploration of Teachers’ Experiences with Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder Transitioning and Adjusting to Inclusion: Impacts of the Home and School Collaboration

Authors

Chana S. Josilowski, Capella UniversityFollow
Wendy Morris, University of PhoenixFollow

Abstract

Although inclusive classrooms provide unique opportunities for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), these students face barriers during the initial transition from self-contained classrooms (Sanahuja-Gavaldà, Olmos-Rueda, & Morón-Velasco, 2016). The purpose of this qualitative, generic study was to identify how home and school collaboration impacted the transition and adjustment of students with ASD to an inclusive setting. Using a generic qualitative methodology, we collected data from 16 teachers who responded to a series of open-ended questions about their experiences with parental engagement during the transition to inclusion for students with ASD. Three themes emerged; teachers indicated that when parents and educators collaborated, (a) the students demonstrated improved academic performance, (b) the transition phase progressed more smoothly, and (c) the students achieved better social adjustment. Further, home-school collaboration resulted in teachers’ ability to adjust the curricula to meet the needs of the students, students’ increased motivation to complete tasks, and parents’ willingness to reinforce skills at home.

Keywords

Qualitative Research, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Transition, Collaboration, Learning, School Intervention, Inclusion, Parent, Teacher

Author Bio(s)

Dr. Chana S. Josilowski is an instructional leader, professor of psychology, faculty-led researcher, and course designer at Capella University. Her passion and drive for evidence-based practices encourages her ongoing pursuit of research to expand knowledge in the field of psychology. Dr. Josilowski’s first publication “Teachers' Perceptions of the Home-School Collaboration: Enhancing Learning for Children with Autism” (2017) can be found in Pro Quest. Correspondence regarding this article can be addressed directly to: shiffyjay@gmail.com.

Dr. Wendy A. Morris is an instructional leader and a graduate of University of Phoenix with strong ethics, dynamic personality, and unyielding commitment to students. Her educational experiences have allowed her to collaborate with a diverse group of people including educators, parents and students in London, England and in the United States of America. Dr. Morris’s belief is that given a positive learning atmosphere that welcomes exploration and enhances student confidence, and in partnership with a strong leadership team and supportive parents all students can learn. Dr. Morris’s first publication “Practices of Elementary School Principals from schools with Positive Progress Reports’ (2013) can be found in Pro Quest. Correspondence regarding this article can also be addressed directly to: Wabuela@hotmail.com.

Publication Date

6-8-2019

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2019.3757

Recommended APA Citation

Josilowski, C. S., & Morris, W. (2019). A Qualitative Exploration of Teachers’ Experiences with Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder Transitioning and Adjusting to Inclusion: Impacts of the Home and School Collaboration. The Qualitative Report, 24(6), 1275-1286. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2019.3757