Moving From Vision to Victory: Developing Community Partnerships to Reduce Autism Disparities

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 1
  In Roundtable Session: Advocacy and Community Engagement in Special and Inclusive Education

Abstract

This paper session presents a university-community partnership to address autism disparities in low-income, ethnically diverse populations. Employing community-partnered participatory research (CPPR) practices, university and community health researchers formed an autism community workgroup to develop culturally-relevant parent-mediated interventions to test in randomized control trials. What key factors or perspectives are necessary for effective partnership to reduce autism disparities? How should one engage in interagency and interdisciplinary partnership? Participants will learn the five core values of CPPR, and how these values were applied within a federally-funded, community-partnered project to reduce autism disparities for under-resourced communities. Highlighting key aspects of communication, evolving collaboration, and conflict inherent in the transformation process, presenters will provide concrete examples for academics and collaborators who partner for change.

Author

• Jolan Smith, California State University - Long Beach