| The focus of this study was to gain a better understanding of autism and its effects on family life and educators so that together families and teachers can create a successful academic environment for children with autism. The incidence of autism has risen. In the past 10 years the number of children with autism between 6 and 21 years of age attending school in the United States has risen at the rate of 1700%, much higher than the number of children with disabilities. The relationship between parents of children with autism and educators is crucial to the academic success of the child. With the rates of autism increasing at an alarming rate within the state of Georgia and more specifically the study site, a purposive sampling was used. A total of 18 parents, 10 educators, nine paraprofessionals, one administrator, and two support personnel agreed to participate in the study. Data was collected through a variety of methods including interviews, observation, and documentation. A cross-case analysis was utilized to analyze the data. Findings were confirmed using triangulation, member checking, peer debriefing, and the establishment of an audit trail. |
