Understanding Parent Experiences and Supporting Autistic Children in the K-12 School System

Book excerpt: Parenting and educating a child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a unique experience for many reasons. Too often, the K-12 school system overlooks the needs of children with ASDs or educators find themselves unprepared to provide a learning environment that fulfills these needs. Parents of children with ASDs must also stay informed on autism support services, school system practices, developmental pediatrics, and more in order to be an active voice in how their children are supported within the school system. Understanding Parent Experiences and Supporting Autistic Children in the K-12 School System shares the experiences of children with ASDs in order to develop more supportive practices for these children as they navigate the K-12 system. It also offers best practices, strategies, and information for educators to provide a sufficient learning environment to support children with ASDs within their classrooms. Covering topics such as assistive tools, inclusive practices, and parent experiences, it is an ideal resource for K-12 administration and faculty, educators, pre-service teachers, policymakers, parents, researchers, and academicians.