All Theses, Dissertations, and Capstone Projects
Year of Award
2024
Degree
Doctor of Education (EdD)
College
College of Education & Allied Health
Degree Program
Collaborative High Impact Instruction
Department
Education and Special Education
First Advisor
Dr. Sarah Huisman
Second Advisor
Dr. Jamie Doronkin
Third Advisor
Dr. Jenna Voss
Keywords
autism, deaf, hearing loss, parents, placement, decision-making, IPRC, Canada
Abstract
A paucity of research exists surrounding the area of children with the dual diagnosis of autism and hearing loss (Wiley et al., 2018). While research exists regarding the perceptions of parents of children with other disabilities and challenges, it has only just begun to extend to parents of children who are deaf/autistic (Perry et al., 2019; Starr & Foy, 2012). The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological case study is to achieve an understanding of the perceptions and experiences of parents of deaf/autistic students from a school board in Ontario, Canada, and their involvement in the Individual Placement and Review Committee (IPRC) meeting. The problem to be addressed by this study is that parents’ perceptions about their participation in the IPRC process for their child who is deaf/autistic are not currently represented in the literature. Interviews were conducted with 3 parents of students who are deaf/autistic and have participated in an IPRC meeting. Data were also collected via surveys and a review of documentation. Understanding the perspectives of these parents revealed important information about barriers and facilitators to their participation. Although all parents participated in the meetings, their ability to collaborate with the IPRC team was hindered by factors such as language barriers, lack of knowledge and what appeared to the parents as pre-determined placement decisions. Based on the analysis of the data, an Organizational Improvement Plan was provided with suggestions for improving the IPRC process and developing and increasing the supports for the families, schools and, ultimately, the students.
Document Type
Open Access Thesis
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Polsky, Elyza, "Individual Placement and Review Committee Process: Perceptions of Parents of Students Who Are Both Deaf and Autistic" (2024). All Theses, Dissertations, and Capstone Projects. 667.
https://griffinshare.fontbonne.edu/all-etds/667