Social Capital Inequalities: Measuring Autism Resources Embedded in the Egocentric Treatment Networks of Children with ASD

• In Event: 3581 - Section on Sociology of Children and Youth Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 02. Organizations, Children and Youth

Abstract

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often require complex, multimodal intervention provided by a ‘de facto’ team comprised of parents, teachers and other school, clinical and community-based service providers (Lord and Mcgee 2001 ; Singer et al, 2012). Connections among ‘de facto’ providers can potentially create social capital advantages through shared goals, interventions, knowledge and resources (Bronnfenbrenner 1979) . In our study, we conducted a mixed methods investigation of schools as key contexts that shape the social capital of ‘de facto’ teams of children with ASD. For low income children, with few resources for private treatments, schools serve as a primary source of intervention for autism (Odom et al., 2005). Findings suggest that the social capital of ‘de facto’ treatment teams varies between schools, with greater gaps in the fall than the spring, shaped in part by the configuration of staff and the management of autism treatment in schools.

Authors

• Elizabeth McGhee Hassrick, Drexel University

• Kathleen M. Carley, Carnegie Mellon University

• Chris Friedman, Drexel University