Evaluating parental involvement in the education and development of children with autism spectrum disorder

When a child receives an autism diagnosis, the entire family enters a new reality. Parents become therapists, advocates, and educators, often with minimal guidance on how to fill those roles effectively. This research evaluated the relationship between parental involvement and developmental outcomes in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) aged 3 to 10 years in Taiwan. A cross-sectional survey design was employed, collecting data from 156 parent-child dyads across six special education centers in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung between January 2023 and June 2024. Parental involvement was measured across six dimensions: home-based teaching, school collaboration, therapy participation, advocacy activities, emotional support, and structured play. Child outcomes were assessed in five domains: social skills, language development, academic readiness, adaptive behavior, and emotional regulation.Results showed that structured play (r = 0.67, p < 0.001) and home-based teaching (r = 0.58, p < 0.001) had the strongest correlations with social skills gains. Therapy participation was most strongly linked to language development (r = 0.57, p < 0.001) and adaptive behavior (r = 0.54, p < 0.001). Parental education level and household income were significant predictors of involvement intensity, with graduate-educated parents scoring 51.6% higher on home-based teaching than parents with high school education or below. Financial burden (reported by 81.4% of low-SES families), time constraints (72.3%), and emotional burnout (64.1%) were the most frequently cited barriers to involvement. Multiple regression analysis indicated that parental involvement accounted for 38.7% of the variance in overall child developmental outcomes (adjusted R² = 0.387, F = 14.83, p < 0.001). These findings highlight the central importance of parent engagement in ASD intervention and underscore the need for structured parent training programs that address socioeconomic barriers to participation.