Professionals play an important role in when and how families access autism services. Black families often experience disparate access to autism services compared to White families. Family Peer Advocates (FPAs) are professionals who have personal experience with the diagnostic process, school-based supports, and community-based services, and…

Adult students and are a rapidly growing population in U.S. higher education. Yet limited scholarship has centered on the voices of adult learners and explored the complex roles that family play in their decisions to enroll and their motivations to persist in college. This study begins to fill that gap. In a grounded theory study using individual…

Family learning systems are dependent upon coalitions of institutions, organizations, community members, and families who engage in deep, comprehensive work bringing together a continuum of programs and resources-- spanning birth through adulthood--in family literacy, family engagement, and family leadership. These intentional efforts will create…

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools in the U.S. pivoted to provide services to students using technology to mitigate the need for face-to-face interactions. In addition to providing instruction using distance technology, it was necessary for schools to conduct much of their other business in a way that limited face-to-face interactions,…

Self-determination has been a primary focus of efforts to enhance quality of life for individuals with disabilities. Learning self-determination enables individuals to assume greater responsibility and control in their lives. The primary causal agency perspective on self-determination highlights the importance of learning self-determination for…

This brief report summarizes some of the family engagement services provided by Austin Independent School District's parent support specialists to families during the 2020 calendar year. There is a separately published report that summarizes services during the 2019-2020 school year.

The field of early intervention is rapidly expanding. Individuals trained in Human Development and Family Science programs are uniquely situated for work in this setting, due to their diverse understanding of human development, from birth through death, and the role of the family system in influencing development. More specifically, individuals…

Family engagement is a major component in assisting student success and academic growth; however, within the inner city, it can be difficult to get families engaged due to many different factors. Schools can increase family engagement by giving families the knowledge to be successful. The purpose of this dissertation is to present how effective it…

Family involvement is a cornerstone of early intervention (EI). Therefore, positive caregiver outcomes are vital, particularly in caregiver-implemented interventions. As such, caregiver instructional approaches should optimize adult learning. This study investigated the comparative efficacy of coaching and traditional caregiver instruction on…

The Faculty of Lifelong Learning at the Institute of Technology Carlow co-created a Level 8 Certificate in Prevention, Partnership and Family Support with Tusla, the national Child and Family Agency. The part time programme was aimed at Child and Family Support Network (CFSN) members in Co. Carlow. The overall approach taken throughout this…

Principals play a critical role in creating inclusive schools for students with disabilities, but few studies focus on how principals foster meaningful engagement for parents of children with disabilities, especially within Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings where important education decisions are made. Research focused on principal…

Following a high-quality early care and pre-K experience, the kindergarten-through-third-grade years set the foundation upon which future learning builds; and strengthening this continuum creates opportunities for later success. Key components of a quality experience in K-3 include school readiness and transitions, kindergarten requirements,…

The importance of family engagement in their children's education and treatment is emphasized by researchers, professional organizations, and legislatures. Providing services with caregivers via telepractice has gained more support and is becoming especially timely due to the current pandemic and social distancing requirements. Professionals, such…

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the global population, not only in terms of health, but also in the economic, psychosocial, and educational domains. Information and communication technologies (ICT) have been presented as the main currently available solution to reduce the effects of social isolation and for the maintenance of educational…

Familial engagement is a cornerstone in comprehensive alternative education; however, implementing high-quality parental outreach is difficult. Traditional approaches to parent outreach view diverse families from a deficit perspective and seek to change their behaviors, instead of building on their funds of knowledge. This article presents a case…