Parental Perspectives of the Quality of Life in School Environments for Children With Asperger Syndrome

Findings reported here are from a secondary analysis of in-home, semistructured interviews with a subsample of 9 participants from a larger study examining the perspectives of parents of children with Asperger Syndrome (AS) concerning what contributes to and detracts from their children's quality of life at school. Audiotaped interview data used in the secondary analysis had already been gathered by a trained interviewer and then transcribed verbatim. The secondary analysis followed a modified grounded theory approach. Major themes identified are highlighted, specifically, how quality of life is affected by (a) awareness of AS in the school system, (b) quality of social interaction, (c) the role of the teaching staff and professionals, and (d) the role of the institution and educational structure. Implications, recommendations, and future research directions are discussed.