Autistic Parents’ Participatory Engagement in Early Intervention Services: A Needs Assessment

Early Intervention (EI) services play a vital role in promoting positive child developmental outcomes, with nearly half of autistic children accessing EI services before the age of three. The majority of evidence-based interventions for young children are parent-mediated, and parent involvement in EI services is required by Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Parent participatory engagement—defined as active involvement in session activities, discussions, and homework completion—is associated with greater intervention attendance and improved child developmental outcomes. Despite increasing research on parent involvement in EI services, little is known about the engagement behaviors of parents who are also autistic themselves. Autistic parents experience distinct strengths and challenges in parenting. However, further research is needed to examine how autism-specific traits may shape their engagement, or how existing service models may need to be adapted for autistic parents. Understanding the needs of autistic parents to facilitate their engagement in EI services and parent-mediated interventions is key to developing more effective support systems for this population and their children.

This study employs a mixed quantitative and qualitative methods approach within a community-partnered research framework to examine autistic parents’ participatory engagement in EI services and parent-mediated interventions. Using surveys and semi-structured interviews, this study will examine how autistic parents engage in EI service sand identify key barriers and facilitators to their participatory engagement. A Community Advisory Board of autistic parents will then synthesize and prioritize parent-identified needs and co-develop recommendations to enhance their participatory engagement. The results of this study will inform parent-mediated intervention adaptations, EIservice supports, provider training, and service guidelines to create more accessible, equitable EI services for autistic parents and their families.