Suggestions for Promising Practices for Black Autistic Children and Their Families Post-Pandemic

• In Event: Identifying Holistic Supports for Families During Challenging Times

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic dismantled U.S. schools allowing for existing issues to be worsened. It was BIPOC disabled students that had the least support during distance learning. In this paper, we will discuss evidence of promising practices to partner with families to support Black students on the autism spectrum. Interviews with Black mothers of autistic children collected during the pandemic suggest that the time and physical proximity allowed for insight into their children’s academic needs. As parents became educational facilitators, they gained more of an understanding of the curriculum and became agents in the learning process. Giving evidence: (a) how school-home partnership is key for Black families and (b) how schools can work to create authentic collaborations that support student outcomes.

Authors

• Elizabeth Holliday Morgan, California State University - Sacramento
  Presenting Author

• Margaret Sabastian, Salisbury University
  Presenting Author

• Kanwardeep Singh, California State University - Sacramento
  Presenting Author