Abstract
The number of families choosing to home educate their children with disabilities, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), has increased in Australia in recent years, however our knowledge about parent's experience of implementing such programmes is limited. This qualitative study was designed to explore mothers' perspectives of home educating a child with ASD. Ten mothers were interviewed using a qualitative research design within a phenomenological framework. A thematic content analysis identified three main themes; 'school experience', 'coming home' and 'mother's experience as educator'. Mothers commented that educating their child at home lead to improvements in their child's behavioural and psychological wellbeing. The experience of home educating was influenced by the children's school experiences, parents' perceived choice to home educate and level of educative and social support available. This study has implications for parents, educators and health care professionals regarding the psychological and educational needs of children with ASD.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 257-275 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Issues in Educational Research |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Publication status | Published - 9 Dec 2010 |
| Externally published | Yes |