What do we know about home education and autism? A thematic synthesis review

Abstract

This is a repository copy of What do we know about home education and autism? A thematic synthesis review.

Benefits and Challenges of a Hybrid Distance Education Program for Autistic School-Age Students: Parent, Student and Teacher Perspectives

“…In most cases, students were reported as more engaged, their learning increased, and improvements were noted in behaviour and mental health, which is consistent with prior research (see O'Hagan et al, 2021), but findings were more mixed with regard to students becoming independent learners. While some students developed friendships through online exchanges and improvements in social skills were observed, there was also the view of some parents that students may be missing out on the opportunity for face-to-face interactions.…”

“…It is unsurprising therefore that some parents choose to remove their autistic child from mainstream schooling and seek alternative educational options, such as home education. In a recent review, five key motivations were identified: a school's lack of flexible and inclusive practices, school staff's insufficient understanding of autism, the exclusionary nature of mainstream school, experiences of bullying, and their child's subsequent mental health issues (O'Hagan et al, 2021). Included in this review were the only two Australian studies examining the experiences of mothers home educating their autistic children (i.e., Kidd & Kaczmarek, 2010;McDonald & Lopes, 2014).…”

“…While the decision to home educate is not taken lightly, parents may feel that they have no other choice (Cheney & Bruck, 2017;Kendall & Taylor, 2016;McDonald & Lopes, 2014) given the impact of mainstream schooling on the wellbeing of their child (Danker et al, 2016). O'Hagan et al (2021) found that parents who homeschooled felt a sense of empowerment, enjoyed reduced family stress and reported increased satisfaction with their child's academic progress. However, they also experienced the additional pressure and time constraints of being both parent and teacher, felt they received inadequate support in their home educator role, and had additional financial costs.…”

“It just fits my needs better”: Autistic students and parents’ experiences of learning from home during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Third, it is possible that teachers were struggling themselves with coping with the pandemic and/or simply did not know how best to support autistic children remotely, especially when children began to disengage with online learning. Given that educators’ level of knowledge and understanding of autism – as reported by both teachers and parents – is one potential explanation for poorer autistic student outcomes (Anderson, 2020; Majoko, 2016; O’Hagan et al, 2021; Roberts & Simpson, 2016), it is plausible that teachers might simply not have known what tangible steps to take to support their autistic students effectively at a distance (Haspel & Lauderdale-Littin, 2020). They might also have relied too heavily on stereotypes about autism, mistakenly assuming that their autistic students could not, or did not want, to connect with their teachers and peers during this time.…”

Brief Report: Covid Restrictions had Positive and Negative Impacts on Schooling for Students on the Autism Spectrum

“…The only impact noted by parents of children who were home-schooled both before and during COVID-19 restrictions was a reduction in the number of extracurricular activities that could be undertaken due to shutdowns. This may have been particularly notable for this group of children given that home-educated children are reported to be more involved in extracurricular and social activities than those in mainstream education (for a review on home-schooling in autism see O’Hagan et al, 2021 ).…”