Partners in School: An Innovative Parent-Teacher Consultation Model for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Little research examines the best ways to improve communication between parents and teachers of
children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and its effect on child outcomes. The present
study tests an innovative parent-teacher consultation model, entitled Partners in School. The goal
of Partners in School is to improve parent-teacher communication aboutevidence-based practices
(EBPs), and subsequently, outcomes for children with ASD. Participants were 26 teachers and 49
parents of children with ASD from a large urban public school district. Parents and teachers
completed measures of their communication and child outcomes prior to and after receiving
consultation through Partners in School. Results indicated that parents and teachers perceived
improvements in child outcomes after participation inPartners in School. Changes in parentteacher communication also were associated with changes in some child outcomes.
Discussionhighlights the important role of communication inconsultations targeting family-school
partnerships for children with ASD