The Effect of Home Visits on the Parents of Preschool Children with Autism and Special Needs

Abstract

The purpose of this study was determine whether or not the implementation of home visits for the parents of preschool children with autism and special needs has increased their understanding of the components of the program and their use at home. The Autism Knowledge and Intervention Scale was used to determine the effective of the home visits. The six parents were from a convenience sample. The results of the non- independent sample t-test revealed that there was no significant difference in the parents’ knowledge of the components of their child’s preschool program as measured on the pretest (Mean=72.33, SD=18.07) and posttest (Mean=84.66, SD=6.56) [t (5)= -1.63, p > .05]. In addition, there was also no statistically significant difference in the implementation scores between the pretest (Mean= 31.33, SD= 3.72) and the posttest (Mean= 32.66, SD= 2.58) test [t(5)=-1.58, p>.05). Practical and theoretical implications, threats to validity, and recommendations for future research are discussed.