Abstract
This phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of first-generation immigrant caregivers of children with autism who have received or are receiving Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) services from their public school districts. The rationale for this study is that there is currently minimal research about the lived experiences of the caregivers who identify as immigrants to the United States (U.S.) with children with autism receiving ECSE services (Avsar & Atilia, 2019; Reed & Osborne, 2012; Rubin & Lewis, 2014). As the number of people in the U.S. population who identify as “foreign-born” (Pew Research Center, 2019) and the rate of autism continues to grow (Magaña et al., 2017; Pedersen et al., 2017), it is important to address this subject to better understand the experiences in support of caregivers with varying cultural experiences in a multi-culturally evolving country. To do this, the following research question was posed: What are the lived experiences of first-generation immigrant caregivers of children with autism receiving ECSE services from a public school? This study utilized transcendental phenomenology to develop the description of a lived shared experience (Moustakas, 1994). Participants in this study share their experiences of having a child with a disability receiving ECSE services from public schools. The methodology of this study was interviews with coded transcriptions utilizing phenomenological reduction (Moustakas, 1994). From this analysis, the following themes or shared experiences were revealed: (a) perceiving disability from a cultural perspective, (b) experiencing barriers in the special education process, (c) valuing ECSE services, and (d) needing accessible resources during and after ECSE services. These shared experiences were then analyzed through the theoretic frameworks of stigma and social support theory to derive a rationale for meaning in relation to the shared experiences. This study provides recommendations for ECSE practitioners, leaders, and future researchers concerning the findings supporting the caregiver’s shared experiences related to the four identified themes.