Bridging the Gap: Teacher-Parent Partnerships for Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

There are increasing demands on the education system to meet the needs of students with autism spectrum disorder and the requests of their parents. Teacherparent partnerships may be one avenue to improve services, however teachers often feel unprepared and lack strategies and skills to effectively engage parents. This multilayered article presents a story from a teacher who is a parent of a student with ASD. It is followed by a discussion of the state of teacher preparation programs and barriers that impede successful partnerships. Suggestions for improving partnerships are included.