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Abstract

Each year, millions of students with disabilities receive special education services. The development of an individual education program (IEP) is an important function in determining what services are provided. The IEP is the product of a collaborative effort between stakeholders, including the student (Barnard-Brak & Lechtenberger, 2010). Research demonstrates that students with disabilities have negative experiences in their IEP meetings. Specifically, students have little understanding of the IEP language or their disability, and they often feel disconnected during the meeting. Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in particular face even greater challenges in terms of communication, anxiety, and other social difficulties. There is an increased need to encourage and prepare students with ASD to take an active role in their IEP meetings. (Arakelian, 2017; Doronkin et al., 2020; Hagner, et al., 2014; Kelley et al., 2011; Martin, 2017). Through a constructivist worldview, this qualitative study used a narrative inquiry approach to uncover the first-person accounts of three male high school seniors with ASD. The participants’ voices were captured regarding their perceptions of their involvement in IEP meetings in a Mid-Atlantic region cyber charter school. The researcher collected data from document reviews, two semi-structured interviews, and observations of the IEP meeting. Inductive in vivo coding uncovered four themes related to the experience of the participants: (1) “It’s there but it’s not there;” (2) “Hey, I need help;” (3) “all about me;” and (4) “I also found out.” The researcher also analyzed the data deductively, drawing connections to the self-determination theory (SDT) tenets: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The individual stories and unique identities of the participants are reflected in their use of the SDT tenets. The final chapter presents the limitations, considerations for educators and administrators in a cyber charter school, and recommendations for future research.

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