Abstract
Professional schools are responsible for training students in how to deliver high-quality services equitably to diverse families. This chapter describes the role of educational professionals in meeting the needs of diverse families who have children with autism and the training process needed to prepare them. We set the stage by presenting an overview of the of the increasing Latino population in Inland southern California, concomitant with the increasing numbers of children on the autism spectrum and the dire need for teachers to work with them. The chapter highlights one important area of research, student–teacher relationships, and their importance for transitioning young children with autism spectrum disorders into early schooling. In addition, there are growing numbers of individuals with autism graduating and transitioning from high school into postsecondary experiences, especially in colleges and universities. This chapter also provides the rationale for keeping university faculty abreast of autism. Finally, implications of work on autism for emerging professional roles across the disciplines of special and medical education will be proffered.
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Blacher, J., Linn, R.H., Zeedyk, S.M. (2015). The Role of Graduate Schools of Education in Training Autism Professionals to Work with Diverse Families. In: Mitchell, D., Ream, R. (eds) Professional Responsibility. Advances in Medical Education, vol 4. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02603-9_14
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