Dyadic mechanisms of effect in home–school consultation: Evidence from two school-based consultation models

The United States educational system struggles to provide supportive services as rates of autism spectrum disorder rise. Teachers face challenges in shared decision-making with caregivers for developing high-quality intervention plans tailored to the strengths, challenges, and needs of students with autism and their learning environments. We describe two school-based consultation approaches for supporting shared decision-making between parents/caregivers and teachers of students with autism – Partners in School and COMPASS. Both approaches bring parents/caregivers and teachers together for collaborative goal setting facilitated by a consultant through shared dyadic mechanisms of effect, which include shared decision-making, caregiver-teacher alliance, and agreement on educational goals. These innovative consultation models incorporate both the teacher and parent/caregiver perspectives early on when deciding on specific goals and strategies.