Parents of Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder: What Do They Expect and Experience from Preschools?

The study investigates the expectations and experiences of parents of children who have recently received an autism spectrum diagnosis (ASD) regarding the support they receive in kindergarten. The researchers investigated what had been important in the parents' choice of kindergarten, what expectations they had and how they perceived the educational support provided by the kindergarten, as well as the parents' communication with the kindergarten staff. The research questions are: 1) What expectations do parents have of kindergarten when they have a child with an ASD diagnosis? 2) What experiences do parents have of kindergarten when they have a child with an ASD diagnosis?

The study shows that parents expect kindergarten staff, including coordinators, to have expertise in and knowledge about ASD. The parents want continuous dialogue with the staff in the kindergarten and expect the child to receive individual support and follow-up. The majority of parents who participated in the study said their main expectations were met, but that they often worried about their child when it was in kindergarten.

The participants in the study were the parents of 26 Swedish kindergarten children who had recently received an autism spectrum diagnosis (ASD). The parents completed a questionnaire consisting of twelve open-ended questions and nine multiple-choice questions. The open-ended questions were analysed to identify the parents' expectations and experiences of the kindergarten. The data were analysed using a qualitative inductive approach with content analysis of the open-ended questions.

Andersson, G. W., Gillberg, N., Miniscalco, C. (2021). “Parents of Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder: What Do They Expect and Experience from Preschools?”. Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment, 17:3025-3037.