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Identifying the Associated Factors of Mediation and Due Process in Families of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

Compared to families of students with other types of disabilities, families of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are significantly more likely to enact their procedural safeguards such as mediation and due process. However, we do not know which school, child, and parent characteristics are associated with the enactment of safeguards. For this study, 507 parents of students with ASD responded to a national web-based survey. Parents who filed for due process or mediation were more likely to advocate for their child, have poor family-school partnerships, and have greater household incomes. Parents were also more likely to utilize their safeguards if their children were older, experiencing more internalizing behaviors, and educated in segregated placements. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Drs. Robert Hodapp and Kelly Hsieh for their thoughtful comments about this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Special Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 288 Education Building, 1310 S. 6th Street, Champaign, IL, 61820, USA

    Meghan M. Burke

  2. Department of Special Education, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Peabody Box 228, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA

    Samantha E. Goldman

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  1. Meghan M. Burke
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  2. Samantha E. Goldman
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Correspondence to Meghan M. Burke.

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Burke, M.M., Goldman, S.E. Identifying the Associated Factors of Mediation and Due Process in Families of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 45, 1345–1353 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2294-4

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