By Carolina Arcaya

This issue of NASET’s Autism Spectrum Disorder series was written by Carolina Arcaya. As the rate of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) increases, teachers have more contact with children diagnosed with ASD, their parents, and their families. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are characterized by their social interactions and communication challenges and restricted, repetitive behaviors (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Research has shown that these challenges may be stressful for parents and affect the entire family. In general, parents experience more stress associated with raising a child with Autism compared to parents with typically developing children or children with other disabilities (Hayes & Watson, 2013). These challenges influence family relations, careers, leisure time as well as the overall quality of life. Family involvement is directly related to the educational outcomes of students with ASD. Effective communication between parents and teachers is essential for building a school-family partnership and achieving educational goals. Because of the unique set of challenges students with ASD possess, a solid parent-teacher relationship requires being more of a partnership than a relationship, where both parties collaborate and are collectively responsible for the student educational outcomes.

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