Online ISSN: 2325-7466
2006
Triannual
National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET)
United States

Articles

Importance of Quality of Life Issues: A Pilot Comparison of Teachers and Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

  • Dr. Julie Ivey-Hatz (Author) Baylor University image/svg+xml
    Dr. Julie Ivey-Hatz Dr. Julie Ivey-Hatz is the founding Director of the Baylor Autism Resource Center (BARC). She is also an Associate Professor in the Educational Psychology Department and is a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP). She teaches in the school psychology program a, Baylor University where she trains graduate students to work in the public school setting, specifically in the area of assessment, counseling, and consultation for children with special needs and specializes in autism. She has numerous publications and has presented on ASD at the state, regional, and national levels.
  • Dr. Karen Frederick (Author) University of Mary Hardin-Baylor image/svg+xml
    Karen Frederick, Ph.D. Dr. Karen Frederick is Assistant Professor at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. She is also a Licensed Professional Counselor intern. Dr. Frederick is the chief executive officer of Hope Unbridled—a non-profit that provides counseling and learning opportunities for children who are at-risk or have special needs.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.239
Abstract
Quality of life (QoL) issues for parents and teachers of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are important to investigate. Independence, social functioning, school functioning and participating in leisure activities are some of the quality of life indicators that parents and teachers must agree upon to ensure effective communication and goal-setting. The purpose of the current study was to compare the perspectives of parents and teachers of children with ASD with regard to the importance of quality of life issues. Participants for this study consisted of parents and teachers of children with ASD. Results indicate that often, parents and teachers have different QoL goals for children and students with autism spectrum disorders. These differences in goals can be a complex issue and could result in discrepancies in how we educate individuals with ASD.
Keywords
Attitude Measures, Autism, Children, Comparative Analysis, Goal Orientation, Likert Scales
References

Bailey, D.B., & Simeonsson, R. (1988). Family assessment in early identification. Columbus, OH: Merrill.

Bitterman, A., Daley, T.C., Misra, S., Carlson, E., & Markowitz, J. (2008). A national sample of preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders: Special education services and parent satisfaction. Journal of Autism Development Disorders, 38, 1509-1517. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-007-0531-9

Burgess, A. F. & Gutstein, S. E. (2007). Quality of life for people with autism: Raising the standard for evaluating successful outcomes. Chile and Adolescent Mental Health, 12(2), 80-86. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-3588.2006.00432.x

Cappe, E. Wolff, M., Bobet, R. & Adrien, J.L. (2011). Quality of life: A key variable to consider in the evaluation of adjustment in parents of children with autism spectrum disorders and in the development of relevant support and assistance programmes. Quality of Life Research, 20, 1279-1294. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-011-9861-3

Centers for Disease Control. (2008). What is the prevalence of autism? Retrieved October 13, 2008, from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/faq_prevalence.htm

Delaney, H., & Vargha, A. (2000).The effect of non-normality on student’s two-sample t-test.(ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED443850).

Frederick, K., Barnard-Brak, L., Sulak, T. (2012). Under-representation in nationally representative secondary data, International Journal of Research & Method in Education,35(1), 31-40. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1743727X.2011.609545

Gay, L., Mills, G., & Airasian, P. (2009). Educational research: Competencies for analysis and applications. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Gray, D. (1998). Autism and the family: Problems, prospects, and coping with the disorder. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher, LTD.

Hardman, M., Drew, C., & Egan, M. (1999). Human exceptionality: Society, school, and family. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Huebner, R., & Dunn, W. (2001). Introduction and basic concepts. In R. Huebner (Ed.), Autism: A sensorimotor approach to management. Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen Publishers. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Regulations, 34, C.F.R. 300.1 et seq. Kellegrew, D. (1995). Integrated school placements for children with disabilities. In R. Koegel & L. Koegel (Eds.), Teaching children with autism. Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing.

King, G., Currie, M., Bartlett, D., Gilpin, M., Willoughby, C., Strachan, D., Tucker, M.A., & Baxter, D. (2005). Clinical decision making expertise in pediatric rehabilitation therapists, Research Alliance for Children with Special Needs, 5(1) London, OH, Canada.

King, G.A., Zwaigenbaum, L., King, S., Baxter, D., Rosenbaum, P. & Bates, A. (2006). A qualitative investigation of changes in the belief systems of families of children with autism or Down syndrome. Child: Care, Health & Development, 32(3), 353-39. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2214.2006.00571.x

Lee, L., Harrington, R.A., Louie, B.B., & Newschaffer, C.J. (2008). Children with autism: Quality of life and parental concerns. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38(6), 1147-1160. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-007-0491-0

Lord, C., & Risi, S. (2000). Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders in young children. In A. Wetherby & B. Prizant (Eds.), Autism Spectrum Disorder: A transactional developmental perspective. Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing.

Marszalek, J. M., Barber, C., Kohlhart, J., & Holmes, C. B. (2011) Sample size in psychological research over the past 30 years. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 112(2), 331-348. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2466/03.11.PMS.112.2.331-348

Mertens, D., & McLaughlin, J. (1995).Research methods in special education. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412985727

Mutua (1999).Macro-and Micro-level factors that predict educational access among children with disabilities in Kenya. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Kent State University, Ohio.

Mutua, K.,& Dimitrov, D. (2001). Prediction of School enrollment of children with intellectual disabilities in Kenya: The role of parents’ expectations, beliefs, and education. International Journal of Disability, Development, and Education, 48 (2), 179-191. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10349120120053658

Mutua, K., Miller, J., & Mwavita, M. (2002). Resource utilization by children with developmental disabilities in Kenya: Discrepancy analysis of parents’ expectation-to-importance appraisals. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 23 (3), 191-201. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0891-4222(02)00097-5

Nissenbaum, M.S., Tollefson, N., & Reese, R.M. (2002). The interpretative conference: Sharing a diagnosis of autism with families. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 17(1), 30-43. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/108835760201700103

Pimley, L.A. (2007). A review of quality of life issues and people with autism spectrum disorders. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 35(4), 205-213. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-3156.2007.00448.x

Rosen, M, Simon, E., & McKinsey (1995). Subjective measurement of quality of life. Mental Retardation, 33, 31-34.

Ruble, L., & Dalrymple, N. (1996). An alternative view of outcomes in autism. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 11 (1), 3-14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/108835769601100102

Sawilowsky, S., & Hillman, S. (1992). Power of the independent samples t-test under a prevalent psychometric measure distribution. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 60, (2) 240-43. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-006X.60.2.240

Sicile-Kira, C. (2004). Autism Spectrum Disorders. New York, NY: The Berkley Publishing Group.

Sipos, R., Predescu, E., Muresan, G., & Iftene, F. (2012). The evaluation of family quality of life of children with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactive disorder. Applied Medical Informatics, 30(1), 1-8.

Simpson, R. (1990). Conferencing parents of exceptional children. Austin, TX: PROED Publishing.

Simpson, R., & Myles, B. (1998). Understanding and responding to the needs of students with autism. In R. Simpson and B. Myles (Eds.), Educating children and youth with autism. Austin, TX: PROED Publishing.

Smith, S. M., Myles, B. S., Aspy, R., Grossman, B.G., & Henry, S. A. (2010). Sustainable change in quality of life for individuals with ASD: Using a comprehensive planning process. Focus on Exceptional Children, 43(3), 1-23. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17161/foec.v43i3.6907

Statistical Package for the Social Sciences [Cs]. (1999). Chicago, IL: SPSS Inc.

Van Haren, B., & Fiedler, C. R. (2008). Support and empower families of children with disabilities. Intervention in School and Clinic, 43(4), 231-235. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1053451208314908

Wetherby, A., & Prizant, B. (2000). Autism spectrum disorders: A transactional developmental perspective. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brooks Publishing Co.

There are 33 references in total.
How to Cite
Ivey-Hatz, J., & Frederick, K. (2014). Importance of Quality of Life Issues: A Pilot Comparison of Teachers and Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals, 9(2), 25-38. https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.239

Spring/Summer 2014

Article Information

  • Article Type Articles
  • Submitted May 19, 2014
  • Published June 15, 2014
  • Issue Spring/Summer 2014
  • Section Articles
  • File Downloads 0
  • Abstract Views 0
  • Altmetrics
  • Share
Download data is not yet available.