"They Were Saying That I Was a Typical Chinese Mum" : Chinese Parents' Experiences of Parent-Teacher Partnerships for Their Autistic Children.

This study talked to 17 Chinese parents of autistic children in Australian schools. Parents liked the acceptance and support they found in Australia, but faced challenges like poor communication with teachers, inconsistent teaching quality, and sometimes discrimination. The research suggests schools need better ways to communicate with culturally diverse families and should value what parents know about their children.

This qualitative study explored experiences of 17 Chinese parents of autistic children in Australian educational settings. Parents valued the acceptance and support received in Australia but faced significant challenges including cultural misunderstandings, inconsistent teaching quality, and discrimination. While parents held high expectations for their children and respected teacher expertise, they struggled with inadequate communication and system navigation. The study highlights the need for culturally responsive approaches to parent-teacher partnerships, emphasizing open communication, recognition of parental expertise, and explicit support for parent self-advocacy skills.

Schools should implement culturally responsive communication strategies, actively seek parental expertise about children's needs, and provide explicit support for parent self-advocacy. Professional development for educators on cultural competency and working with diverse families is recommended to improve parent-teacher partnerships.

Small sample size of 17 participants limits generalizability. Single cultural group focus may not represent experiences of other culturally diverse families. Qualitative design provides rich insights but cannot establish causal relationships or broader prevalence of identified issues.

Effective parent-teacher partnerships improve outcomes for autistic students. Yet, we know little about what effective partnerships look like for parents of autistic children from different backgrounds. We conducted interviews with 17 Chinese parents of autistic children attending Australian kindergartens/schools to understand their experiences. Parents appreciated the acceptance, opportunities and supports they received in Australia.

They had high expectations of children; expectations not often shared by educators. Parents were respectful of teachers' expertise and polite and undemanding in interactions. Nevertheless, parents were frustrated by inconsistent teaching quality and inadequate communication. Navigating systems was also challenging and parents faced discrimination from teachers and their community.

Recommendations include fostering open home-school communication, proactively seeking parents' expertise about children and explicitly scaffolding parents' self-advocacy.