Professional-parent collaboration in behavioural interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Professional-parent collaboration is a crucial issue for the success of behavioural interventions (BI) for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Many studies have been conducted in western countries related to professional-parent collaboration in education and BI for children with ASD. However, as a new phenomenon in the Saudi literature, professional-parent collaboration is rarely discussed or researched within this specific context. Therefore, this study explores and explains parents’ and professionals’ perspectives on the practice of professional-parent collaboration in the planning, design and implementation of BI for children with ASD in Saudi Arabia (SA) from the perspective of educational professionals and parents. A mixed-methods approach is employed over two phases. In Phase One, an online questionnaire was administered with 353 educational professionals across SA. Phase Two was a series of semi-structured interviews with eight professionals and eight parents from SA’s Eastern Province. The findings from both phases generally suggest that parents and professionals value professional-parent collaboration and professionals expect parents to participate at all stages of BI. However, the findings also suggest that parents and professionals are seldom involved in the collaborative planning and delivery of BI. The findings from the interview phase identify perceived facilitators to professional-parent collaboration, including emotional support for parents and mutual trust between parents and professionals. Additionally, these findings suggest perceived barriers to collaboration. Parent-related barriers include a parental lack of understanding of ASD and parental preference for rapid solutions to their child’s behavioural issues. School-related barriers include poor school arrangements regarding flexible approaches to professional-parent collaboration, overcrowding in classrooms, and the lack of assistant teachers. Professional-related barriers include a lack of motivation for professionals to work collaboratively. Finally, the findings suggest a lack of BI training and collaboration skills for both professionals and parents. The study suggests various practical implications for practice, policy, and future research.