Child care for preschoolers with autism: An exploration of mothers' beliefs,decision-making,and knowledge

Forty mothers of preschoolers with autism were interviewed about their children's child care programs and about factors that influenced program selection. Mothers also rated the importance of program features, their knowledge of the care settings, and their frequency of involvement in their children's settings. These mothers of children with autism had many of the same concerns as mothers of typically-developing children: they valued safety; warm, loving, and competent caregivers; and cleanliness. However, these mothers were also concerned about program features that might be especially important for their special-needs children, such as a focus on adaptive skills, the availability of special services, and an individualized program. In spite of relatively low levels of search behavior (e.g., visiting settings before making a decision) and uncertainty about some characteristics of their children's programs, mothers reported high involvement in activities such as field trips, parent-teacher conferences, and observing in the classroom. We highlight the need for additional research in this area.