The purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate the early intervention experiences of mothers who have a young child at risk for an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). More specifically, the goal was to explore the family centered help giving practices mothers identify and how these practices affect their early intervention experiences. Five mothers who have a child under the age of 3 years identified as being at risk for an ASD and their service providers participated. Data were collected through observations, interviews, and document analyses. Results of the qualitative analysis suggest 1) asset based attitudes and interpersonal skills of practitioners and provisions for family choice and collaboration lead to positive experiences of mothers who have a young child at risk for ASD; 2) asset based attitudes lead to family progress and competence; 3) effective partnerships between families and providers are developed through provider attributes and communication techniques; and 4) satisfaction with early intervention services results from practitioner responsiveness to help families access resources and facilitate child development. Implications of the results for future research, service provision, and personnel preparation are discussed. / A Dissertation submitted to the School of Teacher Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2012. / March 20, 2012. / Autism, Early Intervention, Qualitative / Includes bibliographical references. / Mary Frances Hanline, Professor Directing Dissertation; Juliann Woods, University Representative; Barbra J. Edwards, Committee Member; Amy R. Guerette, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_182814 |
| Contributors | Coogle, Christan Grygas (authoraut), Hanline, Mary Frances (professor directing dissertation), Woods, Juliann (university representative), Edwards, Barbra J. (committee member), Guerette, Amy R. (committee member), School of Teacher Education (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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