"Δρώντας ως φίλος" για οικογένειες με παιδιά στο φάσμα του αυτισμού: μία εθελοντική δράση για την εκπαίδευση των ειδικών παιδαγωγών

This book chapter analyses the content of the befriending volunteering program as a differentiated pathway for the education of preservice special education teachers, as compared with other conventional instructional approaches, which are heavily dependent on lectures, without promoting the understanding of the role of parents in the education of students with special needs. This chapter presents in detail the methodology of this befriending program for persons with autism and their families. Additionally, in this chapter I analyse the experiences of undergraduate special ed teachers who participated in this program, of the parents and of myself as the Coordinator. This material was recorded through semi-structured interviews with the participant students and diary notes kept during support meetings with the Coordinator and the volunteers. Three thematic categories emerged from the analysis of the findings generated from participant students: a) the realisation of the size and the intensity of the challenges that parents with children with autism are facing, b) the formation of close relationships with the persons with autism and c) the awareness that parents appreciate and value the presence of befrieders. The parents of children with autism who took part in this program expressed their overall satisfaction with the program and their contact with the befrienders. Yet, some parents voiced their concerns in relation to their expectations which were linked with the role of special ed teacher. Additionally, the procedure of monitoring and coordination of this program created constructive reflections to the Coordinator in regards to the relationship between the theoretical knowledge and the direct first hand experience of preservice teachers with persons with autism and their families. Last, there is some discussion about the educational implications of this volunteering activity as an alternative type of experiential learning for the better preparation of special ed teachers and the expansion of their social participation.