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 Dissertation

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Share

COinS