Case Study of the Vulnerabilities that Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder have in education: The importance of early detection

Currently in our society, children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can be considered a vulnerable group because of the integration issues they experience in education. This paper presents a report of research study conducted in the province of Jaen. The purpose of this study was to: Identify the difficulties experienced by family members to detect and diagnose the disorder; analyse what influence the socio-economic context of the family has in the detection and obtaining of an early diagnosis and, establish the satisfaction level of the response received from their educational context. The method used was a case study that included in-depth interviews. The sample was established by purposive sampling. The participants were thirty mothers and/or fathers of children with ASD, who were aged between five and seventeen, 93.3% were boys. The main results obtained can be grouped into three broad areas: 1) Late Diagnosis: The families received the first diagnosis for their child aged between 18 and 36 months. 2) The family's socioeconomic context: Regardless of the family's income, they all agreed that having a member with ASD in the family requires significant economic resources to ensure the child receives the best care possible. 3) The Satisfaction with the educational centres: They showed a general approval although they were aware of the shortcomings of the educational system. In conclusion it is necessary to implement a number of challenges in the process of early detection and methods of educational intervention. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.