Superordinate theme 6: Working with parents’ perceptions

This superordinate theme captures teachers’ experiences of working with parents. The two subthemes are contrasting, describing the teachers’ experiences with parents as partners and parents as barriers. This seemed to be related to the perceptions held by the parent and their associated openness to suggestions.

Table 8: Contribution of participants to subordinate themes SB16- SB17

T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6

SB16: Parents as partners x x x x x

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All of the teachers reflected on how the experience of supporting a child with ASD involved some interaction with parents. T4 referred to parents but this did not hold strong significance as an individual theme as she felt her role was to pass on the needs of the family to others in school. I also feel it is important to note here that although T3’s experiences contributed to the creation of the superordinate theme, she reflected during the interview that some of her perceptions of parents were intertwined with her mutual role as a parent to a child with ASD.

4.5.3.1 Subordinate theme 16: Parents as partners.

Partnerships with parents were generally perceived as important to facilitate an understanding of a child with ASD and support their progress. The teachers experienced a need to support the understanding of parents as they recognised that acceptance of an ASD diagnosis can be difficult. T1 identified that school staff were often the only professionals regularly accessible for parents of children in her class. She portrayed a need to help parents understand the needs of a child with ASD in order to ensure the child receives appropriate support;

…it's our job to make sure Bethany gets the best For Bethany to get the best we need to know that mum and dad are giving her the best. For them to give her the best they need some support… (T1: 818- 823).

When the teachers experienced what they felt to be a successful collaboration with parents, it created a greater sense of reward as described by T5;

But for the most part it is rewarding, very, almost complimentary when they see their child's progressing and very supportive because they reinforce different routines and ideas at home. So it's been positive on the most part… (T5: 560-565)

T5 reflected that the majority of her experiences of parents had been positive. The other teachers also shared their joy at being able to work with closely with some parents, particularly in sharing feelings of pride when a child shows progress.

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4.5.3.2 Subordinate theme 17: Parents as barriers.

The teachers experienced a challenge when a parent held on to a perception of the child which they, the teacher, did not agree with. The teachers described certain parents as creating a barrier to the child accessing the best level of support. This included acceptance of the nature of the child’s difficulties;

Well, it's very sad because I know they're going to have difficulty throughout their life until their parents accept that they've got issues. You know, if they – if they just think they're just naughty children or something, they're not just naughty children (T2:488- 493)

T2’s extract demonstrates the empathy she has for children with ASD when the condition cannot be recognised and supported accordingly. Other teachers experienced similar feelings of sadness and frustration around parents’ influences in the opposite circumstances. Four out of the six teachers described experiences with parents who were reluctant to accept the strengths their child was showing in school. The teachers then found themselves battling against the negative perceptions the parents held for the child. This is demonstrated by T1s description of a mother who had a conflicting view as to her child’s ability to be independent;

I feel like mum is still quite um, “He can’t do this and he can’t do that.” Um and she um she’s needy in the sense that she constantly needs my attention, because of her Marcus’s autism, she marks him out as more important than everybody else… (T1: 690-695)

As the second part of this extract shows, the teachers also felt some parents became demanding in their approach. This was an experience shared by half of the teachers (T1,T3,T6) who portrayed this as a barrier to collaboration due to the parents’ focus on their child’s needs. In the same way that teachers highlighted the challenge of meeting the needs of all the children in the class, they also felt pressure in balancing the support

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for parents. T6 emphasised the significant emotional impact that difficult relationships with parents had on her experience of supporting a child with ASD;

It’s always really hard when you get sworn at and screamed at and people are aggressive to you because obviously you’re trying to do your very best and everything you're doing is -- You eat, breathe and sleep their children, you're thinking about how the- -how you're going to help them, what their next steps are and um, for a whole year, all you do you think about their child and how you gonna help them and it becomes really upsetting and frustrating when you don't feel that you've got the support from the parents…(T6:587-698)

This extract shows how the dedication of the teacher and the process of constantly striving to meet the needs of the child increases frustration with parents who do not value this effort. The teachers felt they were doing the best for a child and therefore many of them experienced feelings of disappointment and frustration when they were not supported by a parent.