Open AccessPERSPECTIVES OF VOLUNTEER PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS AND PARENTS ON A SUMMER PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS
Author(s) -
Hatice Şengül Erdem
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
european journal of special education research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2501-2428
DOI - 10.46827/ejse.v6i2.3193
Subject(s) - autism , autism spectrum disorder , focus group , psychology , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , medical education , medicine , marketing , business
Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are more likely to have regression in acquired skills in summer than typically developing peers, while parents have also more limited options to provide summer alternatives for their children. This study aimed to understand perspectives of parents of children with ASD and pre-service teachers volunteered on a social enhancement summer program delivered through a university for children with ASD. Semi-structured interviews were performed with both participant groups along with focus group discussion with volunteers, while an inductive analysis process was used for data analysis. The analysis of data obtained from both parents and volunteers revealed three main themes along with related subthemes: (a) the need for summer program, (b) suggestions for effective summer program, and (c) benefits of the summer program. The perspectives of two groups of participants generally overlap and they demonstrate similar thoughts. The results show that summer programs can be an effective alternative to maintain the current level of children with ASD in summers. Article visualizations: