Student-Parent Relationship Development in a Postsecondary Education Program for Students With Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (Poster 32)

• In Event: Sunday Poster Session 11:25 am
  In Poster Session: Special and Inclusive Education Research SIG Poster Session B

Abstract

This mixed methods study was conducted in a post-secondary education program that focuses on employment, independent living, and life skills for transition-age youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities, including intellectual developmental disabilities and autism, who are primarily Hispanic and/or Black. Our goals were to: 1) foreground students’ voices and experiences; 2) create an inclusive program improvement process; 3) provide resources to support similar programs.

Students (n=30) and parents (n=7) shared their program experiences, including changes in student-parent relationships. Changes that strengthened relationships were attributed to parents acknowledging students’ developing self-sufficiency and social communication skills. Changes that caused conflict centered on students’ expressing self-confidence and self-advocacy. This underlines the role family dynamics and parent support play in these youth’s transitions to independent living.

Authors

• Daryl B. Axelrod, Columbia University

• Katherine Maxine Schmarder, Florida International University

• Erica D. Musser, Barnard College, Columbia University