The Vermont Rural Autism Project

Abstract

The Vermont Rural Autism Project (VT-RAP) is a federally and state-funded training grant that prepares speech-language pathologists, teachers, and related service providers to better meet the assessment and intervention needs of children with autism spectrum disorders and their families. The VT-RAP assessment model is strengths-based (Dunst & Trivette, 1996) and guided by the principles of family-centered care (Shelton & Stepanek, 1994). Its primary goals are enhancing service delivery and creating systems responsive to children with autism and their families. This article presents the results of an informal qualitative study whose purposes were to gain an introductory understanding of the meaning the VT-RAP process held for families and to evaluate the effectiveness of the assessment process from the parents' perspectives. Five parents representing 5 of the families participating in the VT-RAP assessment process were interviewed. An overall theme of shifting attitudes emerged from the data as well as 3 subthemes: getting enrolled, becoming friends, and empowerment and transformation. All parents reported having a unique and meaningful experience of involvement in their child's VT-RAP assessment, resulting in their own learning and valued outcomes for their children.