Keywords

Asperger's syndrome -- United States, Autism spectrum disorders -- United States, Parents of autistic children -- United States, Urban high schools -- United States

Abstract

With a dramatic increase in the prevalence of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), including those with high-functioning autism and Asperger's syndrome, educators are challenged to meet the educational needs of a complex and widely diverse group of exceptional learners. The focus of this research was to gain insight into the experiences of the graduated student with autism and his/her parent(s) during the student's time in public school. This study had three research questions: 1) What were the lived experiences of students with ASD who graduated from an urban public high school in the southeast United States?; 2) What were the lived experiences of the parents of the graduated students with ASD?; and, 3) Were there common themes between the graduated students' lived experiences and the parent's lived experiences? Five graduated students and their parents were interviewed in this qualitative, phenomenological study. Explicitation of the interview data identified three themes for the graduated student group: a) challenges with learning due to having an ASD; b) difficulty making friends; and, c) involvement in their educational process. Four themes were present in the parent group: a) challenges with learning due to having an ASD; b) difficulty making friends; c) establishment of a relationship with the school; and, d) preparation for post-secondary experiences. The graduated student group agreed with the parent group on 16 of the 20 interview questions. Responses for each graduated student were compared to the responses of his/her own parent(s). Recommendations were made for future research.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2011

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Martin, Suzanne

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

College

College of Education

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0003719

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0003719

Language

English

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Education, Education -- Dissertations, Academic

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