Empowering Latinx Parents to Advocate for Children with Special Education Needs in the Public School System
Location
Center for Advanced Learning and Simulation (CALS)
Publication Date
April 2025
Start Date
17-4-2025 8:00 AM
Description
Introduction: Almost 29 percent of public education students in the U.S. identified as Hispanic/Latinx, with a rising number of Spanish-speaking students requiring special education services. Spanish-speaking parents may face additional barriers compared to native English speakers when petitioning for special educational support. This study’s aims are two-fold: (1) disseminate information regarding special education laws and resources to Spanish-speaking families and (2) assess the effectiveness of a seminar-based dissemination model. Methods: Spanish-speaking parents (N = 10) attended one of three events in the community and completed a demographic survey and a 10-question survey assessing their knowledge of special education procedures. Subjects listened to a 30-minute presentation given by Spanish-speaking medical students and engaged in a brief focus group. Subjects then underwent a post-seminar survey assessing their knowledge. Results: Parents attended seminars in July and August of 2024. No parents attended in February of 2025. A paired samples t-test showed that the participant’s level of knowledge increased from pre-seminar (M = 4.4, SD = 1.43) to post-seminar (M = 6.5, SD = 1.434); t([9]) =-4.846, p<0.001. Subjects reported overall satisfaction with the seminar, with the highest rated attribute being ‘utility’ (M = 3.9, SD = 0.32). In the focus group, parents reported desiring providers to advocate against discrimination in schools and facilitate resources in the community for mental health diagnoses. Conclusions: Improvement between pre-and post-seminar surveys indicates increased special education knowledge for Spanish-speaking parents. The results highlight the importance of providing information to parents to improve advocacy efforts and reduce the gaps in education outcomes seen in Hispanic/Latinx communities. While immediate caregiver’s confidence did not change, assessing the seminar’s longitudinal impact is needed. We also plan to investigate correlations between parent education level, knowledge retention, and confidence in parents’ ability to advocate for their children in the school system.
Recommended Citation
Clay, Sloane; Maraver, Valeria Faria; Lugo, Maria; Del Corral Winder, Sebastian PsyD; and Maher, Megan MD, "Empowering Latinx Parents to Advocate for Children with Special Education Needs in the Public School System" (2025). Dept. of Psychiatry Research Symposium. 7.
https://digitalscholar.lsuhsc.edu/psych_rd/2025/presentations/7
Empowering Latinx Parents to Advocate for Children with Special Education Needs in the Public School System
Center for Advanced Learning and Simulation (CALS)
Introduction: Almost 29 percent of public education students in the U.S. identified as Hispanic/Latinx, with a rising number of Spanish-speaking students requiring special education services. Spanish-speaking parents may face additional barriers compared to native English speakers when petitioning for special educational support. This study’s aims are two-fold: (1) disseminate information regarding special education laws and resources to Spanish-speaking families and (2) assess the effectiveness of a seminar-based dissemination model. Methods: Spanish-speaking parents (N = 10) attended one of three events in the community and completed a demographic survey and a 10-question survey assessing their knowledge of special education procedures. Subjects listened to a 30-minute presentation given by Spanish-speaking medical students and engaged in a brief focus group. Subjects then underwent a post-seminar survey assessing their knowledge. Results: Parents attended seminars in July and August of 2024. No parents attended in February of 2025. A paired samples t-test showed that the participant’s level of knowledge increased from pre-seminar (M = 4.4, SD = 1.43) to post-seminar (M = 6.5, SD = 1.434); t([9]) =-4.846, p<0.001. Subjects reported overall satisfaction with the seminar, with the highest rated attribute being ‘utility’ (M = 3.9, SD = 0.32). In the focus group, parents reported desiring providers to advocate against discrimination in schools and facilitate resources in the community for mental health diagnoses. Conclusions: Improvement between pre-and post-seminar surveys indicates increased special education knowledge for Spanish-speaking parents. The results highlight the importance of providing information to parents to improve advocacy efforts and reduce the gaps in education outcomes seen in Hispanic/Latinx communities. While immediate caregiver’s confidence did not change, assessing the seminar’s longitudinal impact is needed. We also plan to investigate correlations between parent education level, knowledge retention, and confidence in parents’ ability to advocate for their children in the school system.