Disrupted Care Continuity: Testing Associations between Social Networks and Transition Success for Children with Autism

Children with autism situated in lower income families often receive intensive educational interventions as their primary form of treatment, due to financial barriers for community interventions. However, the continuity of care can be disrupted by school transitions. The quality of social relationsh...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Elizabeth McGhee Hassrick, Wendy Shih, Heather J. Nuske, Sarah F. Vejnoska, Samantha Hochheimer, Deborah E. Linares, Jonas Ventimiglia, Kathleen M. Carley, Aubyn C. Stahmer, Tristram Smith, David Mandell, Connie Kasari
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-06-01
Series:Social Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/10/7/247
Description
Summary:Children with autism situated in lower income families often receive intensive educational interventions as their primary form of treatment, due to financial barriers for community interventions. However, the continuity of care can be disrupted by school transitions. The quality of social relationships during the transition to a new school among parents, school staff and community providers, called the team-around-the-child (TAC), can potentially buffer a child with autism from the adverse effects caused by care disruptions. Qualities of social relationships, including trust and collaborative problem solving, can be measured using social network analysis. This study investigates if two different types of TAC relationships, defined as (1) the level of trust among team members and (2) the degree of collaborative problem solving among team members, are associated with perceived successful transitions for children with autism from lower income families. Findings suggested that TAC trust is significantly associated with the outcome of transition success for children with autism immediately post-transition.
ISSN:2076-0760